Assistant U.S. Attorney Janet Cabral (619) 546-8715

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – February 11, 2019

SAN DIEGO – Former San Diego Unified School District teacher David Gordon Weaks was sentenced today to 70 months in prison following his guilty plea to one count of receipt of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Weaks was a fifth-grade teacher at Rosa Parks Elementary School up until the time of his arrest. He has been in custody since federal agents executed a search warrant at his home and arrested him on April 19, 2018. Weaks’ term of custody will be followed by an eight-year term of supervised release, including restrictions on his use of the internet.

Weaks, 60, came to the attention of agents from Homeland Security Investigations in early April 2018, when agents found that a computer associated with Weaks’ residence was making files of child pornography available for downloading by others through a publicly available peer to peer file sharing network. Analysis of the devices seized from Weaks’ residence at the time of the April 19, 2018, search warrant, revealed that child pornography files were found on a desktop computer, two laptop computers and a backup hard drive.

DEFENDANT                                               Criminal Case No. 18cr2469-LAB

David Gordon Weaks             Age: 60                       San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGE

Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2) – Receipt of Images of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct

Maximum penalties: 20 years in prison (with a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison); $250,000 fine; Mandatory Special Assessment of $100; Special Assessment of $5,000 under Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015; Restitution; Forfeiture

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

Assistant U. S. Attorney Janet A. Cabral (619) 546-8715

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 19, 2018

SAN DIEGO – David Weaks, a fifth grade teacher at Rosa Parks Elementary School in the San Diego Unified School District, was arrested and charged yesterday with distributing pornographic images of young girls, including a toddler.

Weaks made his initial appearance in federal court yesterday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew G. Schopler. The government asked that Weaks be held without bond on grounds that he is a danger to the community and a flight risk. Judge Schopler scheduled a detention hearing for Tuesday April 24 at 2 p.m. to consider the matter.

Beginning in late March, Homeland Security Investigations agents were conducting an investigation of individuals suspected of making files of child pornography available for sharing on the Internet through the use of a peer-to-peer file sharing program. On April 4, 2018, agents connected to a computer with an internet protocol address associated with Weaks’ residence in San Diego. Agents were able to download two videos directly from the IP address, both of which showed young minor females engaging in sex acts with adult males.

Homeland Security agents, along with other law enforcement officers associated with the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, searched Weaks’ home yesterday morning pursuant to a federal warrant and seized multiple computer and other digital items which were found to contain child pornography.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program is a national network representing over 4,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies, all working to combat the sexual exploitation of children through the internet. Homeland Security Investigations, is a member of the Task Force.

DEFENDANTS                                            Case Number 18mj1862                              

David Gordon Weaks                                     Age: 59                                   San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Distribution of Images of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2252(a)(2)

Maximum penalty: 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison; $250,000 fine

AGENCY

Homeland Security Investigations

Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.