United States Attorney John M. Bales
Eastern District of Texas

BLOSSOM, TEXAS MAN SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY VIOLATIONS

            TYLER, TX – U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced today that a 39-year-old Blossom, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas.

            WELDON SMITH pleaded guilty to an Information on May, 14, 2009, charging him with possession of child pornography and was sentenced today to 78 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis.  Smith also agreed to the forfeiture of his computer equipment. 

According to information presented in court, on Oct. 22, 2008, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Smith's residence on County Road 44800 and seized his personal computer equipment.  A forensic analysis of the equipment revealed the presence of 234 images and 30 videos depicting prepubescent females engaged in sexual activity with adult males.

            This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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 better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

            This case was investigated by the Longview Police Department's Cyber Crimes Unit and the U.S. Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.

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