Chatham County man sentenced to federal prison after admitting he produced child pornography

 Port Wentworth man will spend decades behind bars

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Chatham County man has been sentenced to nearly 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.

David Tang, 34, of Port Wentworth, was sentenced to 350 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker after pleading guilty to Production of Child Pornography, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Tang also was ordered to pay $2 million in restitution to the victims in the case, and after completion of his prison term must serve 20 years on supervised release and register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.

“The most vulnerable members of our community are safer today because David Tang and his co-defendants are locked away,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “We’re grateful for those who reported these horrific crimes, and for the law enforcement agencies who brought these predators to justice.”

As described in court documents and testimony, Tang and a co-defendant, Melanie Smith, a/k/a “Melanie Small,” 31, of Rincon, Ga., produced sexually explicit videos of minor children that were later shared with others by Holly Clayton, 34, of Port Wentworth, Ga. Smith later pled guilty to Production of Child Pornography and is serving a 360-month sentence in federal prison, while Clayton pled guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography and is serving a 144-month federal prison sentence.

All three defendants also face related state charges.

“This sentencing not only removes a serial predator from our community, it also sends a message to others engaged in this filth that we are serious about finding, arresting and prosecuting them,” said Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Savannah Police Department and the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Semales.