BECKLEY, W.Va. – Gregory Weymes, 58, an Australian national residing in Ridgeview, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Weymes was also ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to two identified victims.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Weymes previously admitted that he possessed child pornography on his cell phone on February 23, 2021. After receiving a CyberTip through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for Weymes’ residence and seized the cell phone. Weymes admitted that he used various social media platforms, including MeWe, to view and trade child pornography and that investigators would find child pornography on his phone. A forensic review of Weymes’ cell phone uncovered numerous videos depicting child pornography on the device.
Weymes will serve a ten-year term of supervised release following his release from prison. Weymes also faces potential deportation to Australia as a result of this conviction.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin F. Scott prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00080.
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