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March 13, 2007
Kettering man sentenced to 10 years in prison for transmitting child pornography over the Internet
DAYTON, Ohio — A Kettering man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for transmitting child pornography, announced Gregory G. Lockhart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Brian Moskowitz, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Detroit.
Donald Witt, 51, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice to 121 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for transmitting images of child sexual exploitation over the Internet. Witt’s sentence also requires him to register as a sexual offender upon his release from prison. Judge Rice ordered that Witt serve his sentence in a Bureau of Prisons facility that provides treatment for sexual offenders.
Witt pleaded guilty on July 6 to transporting materials involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Witt owned a computer and a webcam in March 2004 and visited Internet chat rooms using the screen name “curiousdaytonman.” Witt chatted with others about sexually explicit activities involving children and viewed images of child pornography. During these Internet conversations, Witt tried to convince others to show children to him over their webcams.
In March 2004, one of Witt’s family members was providing child care services from their home. Witt held one of the children, then between three- and six-months old, up in front of his webcam, which was broadcasting live over the Internet. Witt took off the infant’s diaper, and then masturbated while broadcasting it over the Internet to other unknown individuals watching on their computers.
ICE agents began investigating Witt following an interview with a Texas man who was in federal prison for possessing child pornography. ICE agents arrested Witt at his home on May 4, 2006.
"Words cannot adequately convey the disgust regarding the depraved actions uncovered by our Cincinnati agents in this case," said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit. "Removing sexual predators like Mr. Witt from our communities and bringing them to justice is a responsibility we take very seriously. We applaud the Court's significant prison sentence."
“Who is more vulnerable of a victim than an infant?” Lockhart asked. “We must continue every effort toward providing a safe childhood for every child from infancy through adolescence.”
This case is part of Operation Predator, ICE's comprehensive initiative to safeguard children from foreign national pedophiles, international sex tourists, Internet child pornographers, and human traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 9,500 individuals nationwide, including 107 in Ohio.
ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. Investigators staff this hotline around the clock. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Clemmens, Southern District of Ohio, prosecuted this case.
-- ICE --
