RICHLAND, Wash.- James Patrick Wertman,53, of Kennewick has been sentenced to over 22 years in federal prison for the production of child pornography.
Wertman entered a guilty plea on two counts of production of child pornography in Benton County Superior Court on January 10 after evidence showed a young child and her family had been victimized for several years because of his actions.
The victims of Wertman’s offences will also be receiving restitutions of over $19,000.
The defendant’s former fiancé first reported naked images of her seven-year-old daughter on an iPad before a search warrant of Wertman’s devices and iCloud account found photos of the child over the course of three years.
The evidence showed the Kennewick man set up a phone to record the child, before sexually molesting the child. Wertman agreed to plead guilty to two counts of first-degree child molestation upon being transferred to the Benton County Superior Court.
Wertman’s crimes have left the victim’s family in distress as the mother says she now questions every relationship and believes she failed to protect her daughter.
“Child abuse devastates entire families and our community,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “While we all need to take great care in selecting our children’s caretakers, this crime was the fault of one man only, the Defendant, James Wertman, who chose to victimize an innocent child who trusted him.”
Wertman will serve 270 months in prison before spending life under federal supervision following his release.
