A Fort Mill man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for transporting child sexual abuse material and soliciting minors to produce sexually explicit images.
Wesley Keith Zimmer, 31, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon. He will also serve a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision and was ordered to pay $48,500 in restitution to victims. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
According to evidence presented during the investigation, Zimmer possessed, transported and distributed child sexual abuse material and solicited two children to produce such material.
The investigation began in May 2024 after FBI agents learned Zimmer was communicating with a 13-year-old girl through Quora. Investigators determined that Zimmer continued communicating with the child after learning her age and sent sexually explicit images to her. He also instructed her to delete communications and images from her devices.
A review of Zimmer’s electronic devices uncovered communications with another minor through Snapchat, including sexually explicit images that Zimmer had captured and distributed.
Investigators also reviewed National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports involving Zimmer’s online activity. A search of his South Carolina residence uncovered 364 visually unique images on his iPhone that matched material identified in the reports.
The case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.
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Patrick Byrne lives in Tega Cay with his wife and two daughters. After 25 years working for a Big 4 bank, he retired to pursue his passion for writing. Additional articles and content can be found on his blog (reverian1776.blogspot.com) and freethepeople.org.
Patrick can be reach via email at [email protected]
