07/13/2010

News / Former Grady Hospital Emergency Room Doctor Sentenced to Over 26 Years in Child Exploitation Case

ATLANTA, GA—DR. ADAM WAYNE LEBOWITZ, 50, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Richard W. Story on charges of producing child pornography and attempting to coerce and entice a minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. LEBOWITZ was convicted of the charges by a jury on February 25, 2010, after a seven-day trial.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the sentence, “As a doctor, this defendant took an oath to ‘never do harm’ to anyone. He not only violated that oath, he sexually violated children and then published his violation on the Internet, victimizing the children each time the videos were viewed. His long term of incarceration ensures that he will no longer threaten another child.”

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Lamkin said, “Today's sentencing should remind us all that child predators come from all walks of life and efforts to offer profiles of such individuals to a concerned public are elusive at best for this very reason. The investigation and resulting successful prosecution of Mr. Lebowitz also serves as a good example of the need for parents to not only remain vigilant but to report suspicious activities to law enforcement authorities in order to protect their children from such predators.”

Coweta County Sheriff Michael Yeager said, “I appreciate a lot of hard work by many agencies to bring this case to a successful conclusion. Parents, get involved and stay involved with your children. Know where they are and who they are in contact with. As long as individuals like this continue to prey on our youth, law enforcement will be there to put them away, hopefully for a long time.”

LEBOWITZ was sentenced to 26 years and eight months in federal prison. He was also ordered to have no contact with victims in the case, and must register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

According to United States Attorney Yates, and the evidence presented in court at his trial: LEBOWITZ came to the attention of law enforcement officers at the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office on October 26, 2006, after a victim, a 15-year-old boy, received a series of e-mails and sexually graphic instant messages from LEBOWITZ. The victim’s mother contacted the sheriff’s office and reported these online messages sent by LEBOWITZ to her son. The sheriff's office then began an undercover investigation of LEBOWITZ that culminated in his arrest in the driveway of the victim’s home on November 2, 2006. Evidence at trial showed LEBOWITZ had multiple condoms and sexual lubricants inside his vehicle at the time of his arrest, and had planned to transport the victim to LEBOWITZ’s home in Decatur, Georgia.

Following the arrest, the sheriff’s office obtained and executed a search warrant of LEBOWITZ’s home. During the search, investigators seized three computers, two of which contained video recordings of LEBOWITZ engaged in sex acts with two young boys. Members of the FBI’s Safe Child Task Force identified the victims in the video recordings and contacted them. Both victims revealed that LEBOWITZ had recorded himself engaged in graphic sex acts with these victims when both were minors. An examination of LEBOWITZ’s computers, performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), revealed that LEBOWITZ had sent images from his recordings of the two young victims over the Internet. He was indicted on the charges on June 12, 2007, and a superseding indictment was filed on February 9, 2010.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by members of the FBI’s Safe Child Task Force, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, the Clayton County Police Department, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), with valuable assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Computer Forensics Division. Assistance in this case was also provided by the Coweta County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Richard S. Moultrie, Jr., and Rodney D. Bullard prosecuted the case.

http://atlanta.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/at071210.htm

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