Macon Georgia Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Porn
A Central Georgia resident was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison after he admitted to possessing hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), also known as child pornography, including those involving the graphic abuse of very young children.
David Health, 38, of Macon and Gray, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on Nov. 8, after he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on Feb. 1. Heath will have to register as a sex offender for life upon release from prison. Heath is not eligible for parole.
“David Heath and other predators who actively seek out gratification from the horrifying sexual abuse of children are a danger to kids,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The Middle District of Georgia is blessed with law enforcement relentlessly dedicated to protecting the innocent and bringing child predators to justice.”
“The GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit will continue to work tirelessly to protect innocent victims of online exploitation. We are grateful for the partnerships we maintain with our local and federal agencies to bring these predators to justice,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey.
According to court documents, GBI received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on Jan. 17, 2020, that contained approximately 300 images of CSAM. The images, including some depicting the sexual abuse of pre-pubescent minor children, was uploaded to a Google account used by Heath. Another Cybertip containing 75 CSAM files depicting minor prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts was submitted on Feb. 13, 2020, from the same account. In addition, 43 more Cybertips like the aforementioned instances were discovered to have come from the same user.
GBI executed a search warrant at Heath’s Macon residence on March 27, 2020, and several electronic devices were seized, including laptops, cell phones, HD cards, USB sticks and external hard drives. In all, Heath possessed 2081 images of children being sexually assaulted and abused, including 116 images depicting an infant or toddler being sexually abused and one image of sado-masochistic conduct involving a child. Heath has a prior state felony conviction for aggravated assault of a peace officer in Bibb County, Georgia, Superior Court; his parole was revoked in 2020 for the offenses of possession of methamphetamine and five counts of violation computer pornography and child exploitation.
The case was investigated by the GBI.
