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Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material, Faces Up to 20 Years

Louisiana – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that Jacob Wiebelt (“Wiebelt”), age 39, of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, pled guilty today to a one-count bill of information for Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Children, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (B)(2).

According to court documents, the case against Wiebelt arose from a tip to the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (“LBI”) that a user had uploaded child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”) to the “Discord” messenger service. The lead specifically stated that the user uploaded sexually explicit videos of prepubescent children. On November 1, 2021, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) special agents and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (“LBI”) executed a federal search warrant at Wiebelt’s Ponchatoula home, during which time Wiebelt admitted to possessing, sharing, and uploading CSAM.

Wiebelt also admitted to creating a Discord account and claiming that other Discord users would share CSAM on the website and that he would save the CSAM to his cell phone. Wiebelt would then share the CSAM he had saved on his phone with other Discord users.

Under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571, Wiebelt faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years in prison and a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000.00, or the greater of twice the defendant’s gross gain or twice the defendant’s gross loss to any person. Wiebelt also faces a supervised release term of at least five (5) years and up to life after his release from prison, as well as a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Wiebelt was convicted of Receiving Child Pornography in 2011 and sentenced to five (5) years in federal prison. Wiebelt was on supervised release at the time of the new offense.

The sentencing hearing in this case is set for August 9, 2022, before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood, led by US Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. To learn more about Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The United States Attorney’s Office would also like to thank the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance with this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.

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