A Fort Washington man pleaded guilty to two felony counts of possession of child pornography on Monday morning, stemming from a 2020 investigation by the Conshohocken Police Department.
According to court records, 25-year-old Jacob Weiss entered into an open guilty plea agreement with prosecutors, meaning the two parties agreed on which charges would be dismissed in exchange for the guilty pleas, but no sentencing agreement was made. As such, a sentencing hearing before Common Pleas Judge Thomas Branca has been scheduled for March 7, 2022.
Weiss was initially charged with 300 felony counts of possession of child pornography, five felony counts of disseminating child pornography and one felony count of criminal use of a communication facility in connection with the investigation. As a result of the plea agreement, all but two of the possession charges will be dismissed, as will the remaining other charges.
A first time conviction for possession of child pornography carries a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison, along with a maximum $15,000 fine.
Police said the investigation began when a specially trained detective with the Conshohocken Police Department was surveilling a peer-to-peer file sharing website. The release states that on multiple occasions, the detective was able to connect to an account that was sharing child pornography, resulting in the detective downloading a total of nine video files and five photos.
Investigators were able to trace the account to Weiss’ home, at which point they executed a search warrant on July 9, 2020. Police said they seized a computer tower from Weiss’ bedroom, and a forensic analysis of the computer revealed 692 still images and 38 video files that were determined to include children under the age of 18 years old.
Many of the videos and images included children under 10 years old in various stages of nudity and engaged in sexual acts, the release states.
Weiss will remain free on $50,000 unsecured bail until his sentencing in March.
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