Coeur D´Alene Man Sentenced For Possessing Child Pornography

COEUR D´ALENE – Wade Thomas Weingart, 39, of Coeur d´Alene, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court to 60 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release for possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. United States District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Weingart to pay $3,000 in restitution to an identified child found within his child pornography collection. Weingart pleaded guilty to the charge on January 30, 2014.

According to statements made in court, in July 2012, a police officer working with the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) discovered that a computer in Coeur d´Alene was making child pornography available on the Internet. The officer was able to view several of the files that this computer made available and determined that they were images of minors being sexually abused by adults. Using information obtained from the Internet and an Internet Service Provider, the officer determined that the images were being made available from Weingart’s Coeur d’Alene residence.

In January 2013, a federal search warrant was served on Weingart’s residence. Weingart admitted to possessing the child pornography. A United States Secret Service Forensic Examiner reviewed Weingart’s computer and found over 60 videos of minors being sexually abused. Some of these children were identified and found to be from Washington, Georgia, Utah, Canada and Germany.

The case was investigated through the collaborative effort of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boise Police Department, Idaho Attorney General’s Office, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, and United States Secret Service. These agencies are members of the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a statewide coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, focused on apprehending and prosecuting individuals who use the Internet to criminally exploit children. For more information about the Idaho ICAC Task Force and a list of all the participating agencies, visit www.icacidaho.org.

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, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”