David Edward Weatherholtz, Production of Child Pornography, Maryland 2015

Baltimore, Maryland – A Berlin man has been sentenced to 36 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.

David Edward Weatherholtz, 57, was sentenced to 36 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for producing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander also ordered Weatherholtz to pay a total of $105,471.12 in restitution to the victims and ordered that he forfeit certain property, including his interest in the commercial real estate property located at 12600 Marjan Lane, Ocean City, MD 21842.

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Worcester County Sheriff Reggie T. Mason, Sr.; Worcester County State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to his plea agreement, from at least August 1990 through his arrest in 2015, Weatherholtz had sexual contact and/or sexual intercourse with at least four minors.

Weatherholtz used the internet to advertise for young males interested in sex. He would send explicit messages and videos to potential victims, including an undercover detective who posed as a 13-year-old deaf white male. Weatherholtz even sent two video files by text messages, one showing him greeting the victim and the other showing him pretending to be the victim greeting him.

Weatherholtz was arrested in 2014 after arranging to meet the undercover detective at a restaurant in Snow Hill. A search warrant was executed at his home, where law enforcement seized numerous computers, hard drives, and other media storage devices. Forensic analysis of these items revealed numerous still photographs and a video of Weatherholtz engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a minor.

Weatherholtz’s crimes were uncovered in 2016, when an employee at a building formerly owned by him found a box containing photos of minor males engaged in sex acts and other explicit materials. A review of this material revealed three other minor male victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended HSI Baltimore, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ayn B. Ducao and Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted the case.

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