U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Oregon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

North Bend Man Arrested and Charged with Sexually Exploiting a Child, Additional Potential Victims Sought

PORTLAND, Ore.—Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug announced today that a North Bend, Oregon, man has been charged with sexually exploiting a minor female victim.

On April 15, 2021, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a three-count indictment charging Shannon Stacey Weatherbee, 47, with sexual exploitation of children.

According to the indictment, beginning around July 2017, Weatherbee is alleged to have knowingly coerced a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. These visual depictions were transmitted online.

On April 16, 2021, investigators arrested Weatherbee while executing a search warrant on his North Bend residence.

Weatherbee made his initial appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on June 22, 2021.

This case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the North Bend Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about possible crimes committed by Weatherbee, or the physical or online exploitation of any children, are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

If a child discloses an incident that did happen to him or her, or that they observed happen to someone else, the parent should not ask the child detailed questions about the incident. Instead, please contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI immediately.

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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/north-bend-man-arrested-and-charged-sexually-exploiting-child-additional-potential

>>13948638

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Western District of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Former Erie Man Had Tens of Thousands of Images and Movies of Child Sexual Exploitation

ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Adam Gregory Ryzinski, 42, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Ryzinski received and possessed tens of thousands of computer images and movies depicting prepubescent minors, as young as infants and toddlers, being sexually abused.

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 the United States Attorneys' 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Ryzinski.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-erie-man-had-tens-thousands-images-and-movies-child-sexual-exploitation