Berlin Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

David Edward Weatherholtz, 57, of Berlin, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to two counts of producing child pornography in a case that exposes a decades-long pattern of predatory abuse targeting minors, including family members and young boys connected through his theater business.

The plea, announced by U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson, Worcester County Sheriff Reggie T. Mason, Sr., State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby, and Maryland State Police Colonel William M. Pallozzi, reveals that Weatherholtz engaged in sexual contact with at least four minors from August 1990 until his arrest in 2015. Among the victims were boys he mentored through his Ocean City-based theater company, OC Jamboree, where he worked as a musician, teacher, and owner.

In December 2014, a sting operation led by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office unraveled part of his scheme. An undercover detective responded to a sexually explicit ad posted by Weatherholtz on a website. Over email and text, Weatherholtz believed he was arranging to meet a 13-year-old deaf boy. He sent two videos—one showing himself greeting the supposed teen, another in which he impersonated the child. He arrived at a Snow Hill restaurant on December 16, 2014, expecting to pick up the boy and bring him home. Instead, he was arrested.

Searches of Weatherholtz’s home turned up multiple computers, hard drives, and storage devices. Forensic analysis recovered graphic images and videos of him engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a minor male victim, starting when the child was just 12 years old. The victim had been introduced to Weatherholtz through his music instruction and theater programs.

Even after his arrest, more evidence surfaced. In August 2016, a box addressed to ‘Aaron Weatherholtz’—the defendant’s dog—was found on the former OC Jamboree property. Inside were photos of underage boys in sexual acts, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, and so-called ‘official progress charts’ featuring traced outlines of erect male penises. The materials exposed three additional victims, including two minor family members shown in videos with Weatherholtz.

Weatherholtz faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison on each count—plus lifetime supervised release. Prosecutors will recommend a 50-year sentence. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander set sentencing for May 19, 2017. Weatherholtz has been in custody since December 2014. The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative targeting child sexual exploitation.

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