Man Admits Producing Child Pornography

Young County, Texas Man Admits Producing Child Pornography


March 5, 2010 - WICHITA FALLS, TX—William Fred Weatherford, 71, of Graham, Texas, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to one count of production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Weatherford, who has been in custody since his arrest last month on a related charge outlined in a sealed federal criminal complaint, will be sentenced by Judge O’Connor on June 29, 2010. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of not less than 15 years nor more than 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Weatherford admitted that between December 1, 2009, and December 25, 2009, he used, persuaded, induced, and enticed Jane Doe, a 3-year-old child, to engage in sexually explicit conduct and took photographs of her. The factual resume further states that in mid-January, Weatherford voluntarily admitted to a Texas Ranger that he had taken these photographs of Jane Doe and that his actions had hurt her and her family.

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. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Texas Rangers, and the Young County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa J. Miller, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas, is in charge of the prosecution.