An Ohio man who faces charges in Warren County of statutory rape and corruption of minors now faces federal charges.

Robert Alan Pepus, 26, of Garrettsville, Ohio, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of minors, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced Wednesday.

Pepus is still in the Warren County Jail on $100,000 bail on the charges filed in October 2024 by the State Police at Corry, who allege Pepus had sex with a 14-year-old.

State Troopers said in the department’s affidavit of probable cause that troopers were conducting a security check of the Corry Area Intermediate School in Columbus Township, Warren County, and saw a white car parked in the baseball field parking lot. Troopers saw a person in the rear seat and, when troopers approached the vehicle, allegedly saw Pepus get out of the car with no pants on.

“I asked Pepus what he was doing and informed him he was on school property,” the affidavit states. “Pepus related they were having sex. I allowed Pepus to retrieve his pants.”

Pepus allegedly told troopers he thought the girl was 17 years of age.

“I then went and spoke to the female in the vehicle once she put her clothes on,” the affidavit further states. “I identified the female as IM and discovered she was 14 years of age.”

The federal indictment goes further than the local charges, with further investigation showing Pepus allegedly traveled from Ohio to the Columbus and Corry areas from September 2024 through October 2024 for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a minor and, on several occasions, inducing that minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct. Pepus also allegedly possessed child sexual abuse material.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to life plus 130 years in prison, a fine of up to $1.5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

Pepus is due to appear in the Court of Common Pleas for a conference on Friday on his local charges, according to online court docket information, with a calendar call scheduled June 23. The case is being heard by Judge Gregory Hammond.