Man sentenced for producing child pornography
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, April 12th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
RICHLAND, Washington – A Kennewick man was sentenced Monday to more than 22 years in prison for production of child pornography. At the conclusion of his sentence, Patrick Wertman, 53, will spend the rest of his life on federal supervision. He was also ordered to pay more than $19,000 in restitution to the victims of his offenses.
In announcing his sentence, Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian observed that Wertman victimized a young child for several years and that in victimizing the child, he also victimized her family. Bastian further indicated Wertman’s crime was deserving of a serious sentence.
According to court documents, this case stemmed from a complaint from Wertman’s former fiancé, who reported she had located an iPad containing naked images of children, including her daughter, who was 7 years old at the time. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant and examined all Wertman’s devices, including the iPad obtained by the child’s mother and the iCloud account associated with that device.
The search revealed child pornography images and videos. Wertman pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography on January 10.
