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Herbert Smith, 33, was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, said US Attorney Jacqueline Romero in a statement Thursday, Nov. 17.
According to investigators, Smith began abusing his victim when she was only 8 years old. Authorities say that on multiple occasions for a period of two years, he gave the child sleeping medication and then recorded himself sexually assaulting her.
FBI agents discovered "hundreds of images" of Smith's crimes on his laptop, some of which had been uploaded to his private online storage folder, Romero said.
Smith first came under investigation by Philadelphia police, who received a tip that he had been abusing a different, 9-year-old victim, authorities said.
When Philly cops showed up at his house to serve an arrest warrant in August 2019, Smith was found laying in bed with the 8-year-old victim, according to prosecutors.
Smith has been in federal custody since he was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2019, Romero wrote.
As Daily Voice has reported, Smith pleaded guilty to seven counts of manufacturing child pornography in June 2021. At the time, he was eligible for a prison sentence of up to 210 years, under federal statute.
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