A South San Francisco man found guilty of possessing and distributing large amounts of child pornography last month was sentenced to four years, eight months in state prison Friday, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Though prosecutors sought a prison term of six years, eight months in state prison, Matthew Wimer, 39, was denied probation and sentenced by Judge Lisa Novak Friday after he was convicted of several felonies in a five-day jury trial ending Nov. 7. Though Wimer addressed the court, Novak allegedly noted the serious nature of the crime and said there is something terribly wrong with Wimer, according to prosecutors.
Wimer will receive 1,068 days credit for time served and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, according to prosecutors.
In early 2017, the San Francisco division of a federal task force aimed at tracking and putting those distributing and downloading child pornography behind bars began following Wimer after his account on a peer-to-peer network website caught the attention of investigators, according to prosecutors.
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Investigators downloaded hundreds of illegal files related to Wimer’s online account on four separate occasions in April and May of 2017, confirming he was the registered owner for the IP address connected to the account and eventually obtaining a search warrant for his home, according to prosecutors.
When they entered his home July 6, 2017, they found Wimer with at least two electronic devices containing thousands of child pornography files on them, collectively. Some of the files were related to those on the networking website and others involved children as young as 6 years old, according to prosecutors.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said he supported Novak’s comments about Wimer and his terrible acts. “This is a terrible crime and he is a predator who needs to be locked up to keep him away from our children,” he said.
Acknowledging prosecutors asked Novak to consider a lengthier prison term than the sentence his client received, Wimer’s defense attorney Brandon Douglass said he felt she exercised some restraint, noting Novak was very thorough in her analysis and sentencing. Though he expected Wimer to appeal the ruling, Douglass said he would not represent Wimer should an appeal be filed.
“All things considered, we think it was a reasonable result,” he said.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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