Convicted Child Molester Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON—An Oakland, Calif., man pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a life term of supervised release, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag of the Northern District of California.

Robert Edgar Weagle, 63, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong.

According to court documents and information presented at court, Weagle came to the attention of law enforcement in January 2011, after law enforcement encountered an individual who was attempting to download child pornography through a file sharing network. Further investigation revealed that Weagle was a registered sex offender based on his previous conviction for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, and had sexually molested more than 11 minors. On March 11, 2011, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Weagle’s residence and seized evidence containing child pornography and later arrested Weagle. Forensic examination of the evidence seized revealed tens of thousands of images and videos of child pornography.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Hill and Trial Attorney Mi Yung Park of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and was investigated by the FBI.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.