Porn | Suspect In Teen Porn Case A Shock

Russ Freed lived a seemingly normal life with a good job at the Pennsylvania Turnpike, those who know him said Friday.

He is married, has children and drove daily from his home in Brentwood to New Stanton, where he has worked as an engineering project manager.

And then the FBI arrested him Wednesday morning on charges of extorting teenage girls to send him nude photos.

"All I can say is, before this, nobody could have asked for a better father and husband," said Freed's mother-in-law, Diana Bierer of Monroe, N.C. "I'm heading up to be with (my daughter)."

Freed, 43, appeared in federal court yesterday in Downtown to answer charges that he tricked three girls into sending nude and pornographic photos of themselves to him via cell phone and social-networking websites. He allegedly threatened to distribute the pictures if they didn't send him more.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Mitchell released Freed on $50,000 bond to live at his parents' Penn Hills home pending trial. Freed did not answer questions from reporters as he left the federal courthouse with his father, who later declined comment at his home.

"For me to talk about the facts of the case is premature," said Freed's attorney, David Shrager. "We had one matter here today, and that's all I can talk about. His mother and father are grateful he's being released."

Neighbor Cindy Kramer, 49, of Brentwood said Freed is a father of three. She occasionally has seen him pushing his baby in a stroller while on walks.

County marriage records show that Freed has been married since 1998.

"They're as routine a family you could see," Kramer said. "You'd never suspect something like this.

"I could've died yesterday when it was on the news," she said." Unless he's grunting and texting on the front porch, how can you know?"

A woman with a baby on her hip who answered the door at Freed's home declined to comment.

Alice Applegate, a psychologist not affiliated with the case but who frequently testifies in criminal cases, said it's not unusual for people with similar behavior to function normally in society.

"Normally in these types of cases, the person has volitional impairment -- meaning that part of a person's personality is compartmentalized from the rest of his life," Applegate said. "A person who does this might be a decent person in other aspects of life."

Freed worked for the Turnpike for nearly 20 years and was paid $66,770 a year before he was fired yesterday. He oversaw construction projects from inside the office and in the field, spokesman Carl DeFebo said.

While free on electronic monitoring with other restrictions, Freed is banned from possessing a cell phone, using computers and accessing the Internet. He also is prohibited from contacting any of the teenagers in the case and must avoid all contact with minors.

The judge ordered Freed to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Freed is charged with extortion and transmission of photographs of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also is accused of trying to force the mother of one of the girls to send him nude photographs of herself by threatening to send the photos of her daughter to family members, friends, teachers and classmates.

Some of the teenage girls sent nude photos at first because they thought the person inquiring was a male friend. One of the girls and her mother contacted Ross police in February, sparking an investigation.

Ross police Detective Brian Kohlhepp said investigators believe there are other victims who have not come forward. He said anyone who was contacted by an unknown number ending in 6258 soliciting photos should call police at 412-931-9070.

"We've identified more (victims) through electronic evidence than have come forward," Kohlhepp said. "Parents should be mindful of what their kids are doing on their cell phones. Parents should read the texts and look at the pictures."