Washington Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

PORTLAND, OR—An Oroville, Washington man was sentenced in federal court this morning after pleading guilty to one count of producing child pornography involving a 4-year-old girl. U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman sentenced Donald Wayne George, 64, to 25 years in prison followed by a 10-year term of supervised release. George will be subject to a number of conditions of supervision, including limitations on his association with minors and his use of computers. George will also be required to participate in sex offender treatment, and will be required to register as a sex offender. George’s federal sentence was imposed to run concurrently with a similar Oregon state sentence George received in Washington County following his pleas of guilty there to a variety of sex offenses involving the same minor victim.

George came to the attention of law enforcement authorities after the victim’s father discovered more than 100 digital photographs depicting the victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct, many with George, who is her step-grandfather. George sexually abused the victim and created photographs of the abuse while visiting the victim’s family over the course of more than one year. After discovering the photographs, the victim’s father called the police and detained George until they arrived. Investigating officers seized two digital cameras, computer equipment, and sex toys, some of which were used on the victim. The victim was only 3 or 4 years old when the abuse occurred and the photographs were made.

Judge Mosman imposed the 25-year sentence after considering the federal sentencing guidelines, the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense, and the need for the sentence to provide just punishment, to act as a deterrent, to promote respect for the law, and to prevent George from committing additional crimes in the future. George said nothing during the sentencing hearing.

U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton praised the sentence imposed on George. “Mr. George’s conduct in sexually abusing such a young and vulnerable child and in photographing the abuse is utterly reprehensible,” he said. “It is even worse because Mr. George abused a member of his own extended family,” Holton added. In doing so, George “took advantage of and grossly breached the trust placed in him by the victim and her family.” Holton noted that George should “never again be in a position to harm a child.”

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 and 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 Tigard Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Sussman, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.