Man who created child pornography, IED sentenced to 60 years in prison
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Eric Weiler will also serve 5 years supervised release and must pay $26,250 in restitution.
“The facts of this case are horrific,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch. “Mr. Weiler’s crimes caused great pain to the victim’s family and could have, but for the swift intervention of law enforcement, resulted in severe and permanent injury to other potential victims. His 60 year sentence reflects the seriousness of his heinous crimes.”
Police became aware of Weiler when one of his neighbors found his car wired to explode.
During the investigation that followed, police found two incendiary devices in Weiler's home and over 24,000 images and 80 videos of child pornography, according to the US Attorney's Office.
One of the devices was an IED that had to be detonated by the bomb squad.
The investigation also revealed Weiler had entered an abandoned home near his home where he had written, on the wall, his attempts to acquire a girl under the age of 12, ideally a newborn, for sexual contact, according to the US Attorney's Office.
He was also accused of drugging several people so he could record video of himself sexually abusing an unconscious child. He was also fixated on another child and had intended to kill that child's guardians so he could kidnap and sexually abuse that child, according to court records.
“This lengthy sentence will deliver some justice to the young victims and their families and ensure this defendant will never harm again,” said Special Agent in Charge Tim Jones of the ATF Chicago Field Division. “We will continue to investigate these serious crimes with our law enforcement partners and appreciate the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their diligence in prosecuting this particular case.”