Orlando Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Possessing Child Pornography

ORLANDO—Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway sentenced Donald G. Weiss (68, Orlando) yesterday to six-and-a-half years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. The court also ordered Weiss to forfeit the computer and hard drives that he used to possess the child pornography. As part of his sentence, the court ordered him to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison sentence and to register as a sex offender. Weiss pleaded guilty on July 30, 2012.

According to court documents, an employee of a computer repair store found child pornography while repairing Weiss’s computer. The employee contacted law enforcement officers. After searching his computer, officers interviewed Weiss, who admitted to possessing child pornography since at least 1998. Law enforcement officers searched several hard drives that Weiss owned and found 698 pictures and 10 movies of child pornography involving children less than 12 years old.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable.

It is another case 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.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”