David Wayne Sweet, Jr., Child Pornography, Maryland 2014

A 24-year-old man from St. Leonard, Maryland, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing child pornography.

David Wayne Sweet, Jr. was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by supervised release for life for sexually exploiting a minor to produce child pornography, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus, who also ordered that upon his release from prison, Sweet must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Sweet was arrested on September 27, 2013, after the Calvert County Sheriff's Drug Enforcement Unit executed a search warrant at his residence based on alleged drug violations. His cell phone was seized, which contained 24 sexually explicit images of a prepubescent girl taken between June and September 2013. Sweet had deleted the pictures, but law enforcement officials recovered all of the images.

Sweet admitted that he inappropriately touched the victim while she was sleeping and took the photos. On April 16, 2014, Sweet pleaded guilty to a second-degree sex offense in Calvert County Circuit Court.

This case was 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.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the HSI Baltimore, Calvert County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Calvert County State's Attorney's Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi O'Malley, who prosecuted the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/st-leonard-s-man-sentenced-20-years-prison-sexually-exploiting-minor-produce-pornography