Palm Harbor Man Sentenced To Prison For Receiving And Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven has sentenced James Joseph Weishaar (65, Palm Harbor) to eight years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Weishaar to pay $27,000 in restitution to victims of the offenses and register as a sex offender. He entered a guilty plea on September 27, 2023.

According to court documents, between March and December 2020, the FBI used a file sharing program to connect to Weishaar's computer and download from it several files depicting the sexual abuse of children. In January 2021, the FBI executed a search warrant at Weishaar's home and seized several electronic devices. A forensic search of those devices revealed more than 1,000 photos and over 100 videos of child sexual abuse material, including images depicting sadistic conduct and toddlers. In an interview with the FBI, Weishaar stated, "I don't even know if it's okay, but I'm attracted to it."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Tampa, with substantial assistance from the Largo Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abigail K. King and Ross Roberts.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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.