South Bay Man Convicted Of Child Pornography And Enticement Charges
A federal jury has convicted Johnny Ray Wolfenbarger, 64, of the South Bay, of attempted production of child pornography, attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in child pornography production, and receipt of child pornography.
The verdict was announced by Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Craig D. Fair. The jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts against Wolfenbarger after a one week trial before the Honorable Lucy H. Koh, United States District Judge.
According to the evidence presented at trial, the FBI received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2016. A web services provider had notified NCMEC of child pornography attached to an email and identified the user of the email address as a person receiving or distributing child pornography. The email account was determined to belong to Wolfenbarger.
The search warrant executed by the FBI revealed numerous additional images of child pornography that had been sent to Wolfenbarger by other people. Records indicated that Wolfenbarger traveled to the Philippines throughout 2015 and early 2016, and upon his arrival at San Francisco International Airport in August 2016, he was referred for a customs inspection and met with an FBI Special Agent.
Wolfenbarger admitted to requesting and watching sex acts carried out by children between the ages of three and twelve years old during his webcam viewing sessions. He stated that he would typically request that the children masturbate, perform oral sex on each other or an adult, or request adults use sex toys on the children. Western Union records produced at trial documented over $25,000 in money transfers from Wolfenbarger to individuals in the Philippines.
The total evidence presented by the government at trial included Wolfenbarger’s recorded statements, his chats and e-mails, the images of child pornography attached to the e-mails Wolfenbarger received and sent, and records of the Western Union money transfers sent by Wolfenbarger to pay for the child pornography that was created at his direction.
The statutory sentences for Wolfenbarger are as follows: imprisonment for a minimum of 10 years, a maximum of life, with a mandatory minimum of 5 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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