Laurium man sentenced for possessing child porn
MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN — Rex Eugene Sweitz, Jr., 68, of Laurium, Michigan was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for possession of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced today. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge R. Allan Edgar ordered Sweitz to serve five years of supervised release following his release from prison and to pay a $100 special assessment.
Upon release from prison, Sweitz will be required to register as a sexual offender.
On May 10, 2012, Sweitz pleaded guilty to Count 1 of a federal indictment charging him with possession of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The charge stemmed from an investigation that began in December 2010 after Sweitz brought his computer to a repair shop. A computer technician working on the computer repair noticed a file with a name suggesting it was child pornography, and the repair shop contacted the Michigan State Police to report what they found. After a search warrant was executed at Sweitz’s residence, a forensic examination of a seized hard drive and thumb drive revealed videos and images of child pornography involving 15 known victims.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The Michigan State Police and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul D. Lochner and Maarten Vermaat prosecuted the case.