David Walter McCauley, a resident of Buckhannon, West Virginia, has entered a guilty plea in federal court to charges of possessing child pornography. The announcement was made by United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld.
McCauley, 66, admitted to enticing a 17-year-old boy into sexually explicit activities for photo and video production. During an investigation, authorities searched his home and office, seizing electronic devices that contained illegal images and videos depicting the minor involved in sexual acts with McCauley.
Facing up to ten years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office intends to recommend the maximum sentence. The final decision will be made by a federal district court judge who will consider U.S. Sentencing Guidelines among other statutory factors.
“Manipulating a child to produce pornographic images is a despicable crime,” stated U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “I’m grateful for the hard work of our law enforcement partners to ensure that David McCauley will no longer pose a threat to the community.”
The prosecution is led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett. The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburgh Police Department, and Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.
This legal action is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. This project combines efforts from federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders exploiting children via the Internet and rescue victims. More information can be found at Justice.gov/PSC.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided over the proceedings.