Press Release
Contact:
DANIEL Y. MEKARU
ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY
PHONE: (616) 456-2404
FORMER TULIP TIME OFFICIAL PLEADS GUILTY
TO PRODUCING AND POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 -
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - Thomas Gustav Westerlund, 51, of Grand Haven,
Michigan, pleaded guilty to all counts of a federal indictment alleging that he sexually exploited
children, U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis announced today. Westerlund pleaded guilty to taking
sexually explicit pictures of two thirteen-year-old boys. He also pleaded guilty to two charges
related to his possession of sexually explicit pictures of children. Under the terms of the plea
agreement, Westerlund will also plead guilty in Ottawa County Court to charges that he sexually
assaulted the two boys.
Sentencing for Westerlund is scheduled for February 11, 2010, and will be before the Honorable Robert Holmes Bell, U.S. District Court Judge. At sentencing, the defendant will be facing a combined maximum penalty of 80 years in prison, lifetime term of supervised release, and fines totaling $1,000,000.
Westerlund was operations director for the Tulip Time Festival when the Zeeland Police Department investigated allegations that Westerlund provided alcohol and marijuana to a number of juvenile boys, sexually assaulted one or more of the boys, and had pictures of naked children. On March 26, 2009, Zeeland Police, with the assistance of Michigan State Police, executed a search warrant on Westerlund’s home in Grand Haven. Officers seized alcohol, marijuana, marijuana plants, drug paraphernalia, sexually explicit pictures of children, and computers. At the time of the search warrant, Westerlund was interviewed by law enforcement and admitted that he was sexually attracted to boys between the ages of 10 and 15 years of age and also admitted viewing and saving child pornography on his computer.
Holland Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) assisted and conducted the forensic exams of all the computers and digital media. Westerlund had saved a series of videos that showed him sexually assaulting a thirteen-year-old boy. He also saved pictures taken on his boat of another thirteen-year-old boy masturbating. In addition, Westerlund also had five DVDs with numerous pornographic videos of children.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The investigation of this matter was conducted by Zeeland Police Department, Michigan State Police, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the assistance of Holland Police Department and the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru.
END
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