DeKalb County Man Sentenced to 21 Months for Failure to Register or Update Registration as Sex Offender

BIRMINGHAM – A federal judge today sentenced a DeKalb County man to 21months in prison for violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and U.S. Marshal Martin Keely.  

U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced JASON WIENK, 45, to 21 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Weink pled guilty in August for failure to register or update registration in violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). 

“Sexual assault of an innocent child is despicable,” Town said.  “Sex offenders who flee to another state, and violate the law by not registering will be caught, will be prosecuted, and will occupy the bed reserved for them in federal prison. We appreciate the investigative work of the U.S. Marshals Service in Alabama and Illinois, and our partnership with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.”

According to the plea agreement, Wienk was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child in the Circuit Court of Winnebago County, Illinois.  Such criminal conviction requires Wienk to register as a sex offender for life.  Wienk moved across state lines to Alabama and did not register as a sex offender. 

Under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, if a convicted sex offender travels to another state and fails to register as required by law, he/she is subject to federal prosecution that carries penalties of a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 10 years.

U.S. Marshals Service for the Northern District of Alabama and Northern District of Illinois along with DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.