ALBANY, Ga. – A retired South Georgia school teacher and landlord was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison for possessing hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material after police first discovered hidden cameras he had placed inside his rental property’s bathroom recording young children bathing and undressing.
David Swanson, 61, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands on July 31. In addition, Swanson will have to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. Swanson previously pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. The defendant is not eligible for parole.
“Child predators caught secretly filming unsuspecting and innocent young children and possessing all manners of child sexual abuse material will face justice for these crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Law enforcement and prosecutors at every level across the Middle District of Georgia remain tireless in our pursuit of child predators out to harm our most vulnerable citizens.”
“The home should be a refuge for a family, particularly children. To violate that sanctuary is unforgivable, especially in such a reprehensible way,” said Jennifer Huerta, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta that oversees Georgia and Alabama. “Let this sentence serve as a reminder that HSI and its law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and holding offenders like Swanson accountable.”
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, a concerned citizen notified Ray City Police on March 1, 2023, that she found a hidden camera in the home she rented from Swanson. The responding officer located a camera hidden in the bathroom’s ceiling plugged into an extension cord that ran through the attic. The officer also found two more cameras hidden in electrical outlets in the same bathroom. The SD cards from the cameras contained images of four children between the ages of one to 12, changing clothes and using the toilet. There was also a video clip of Swanson stepping on the toilet, reaching towards the ceiling and then placing a small black object in his pocket. The numerous videos depicting nude minor children bathing and using the toilet were all recorded between Jan. 21, 2023, and Feb. 28, 2023.
Authorities checked Swanson’s other properties in Lowndes County and did not find additional cameras at the other residences. A search warrant was executed at Swanson’s Valdosta residence on March 3, 2023. Agents found approximately 750 images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM)—also known as child pornography—on his electronic devices. Some of the material included children nude in bathrooms, as well as minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A review of Swanson’s laptop showed peer-to-peer programs had been loaded on the laptop and a search of the history revealed evidence of Swanson downloading pre-teen hardcore and evidence of a file named “child porn” that had been downloaded to what appeared to be an external drive. Swanson had recently retired as a teacher in the Lowndes County School System.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Ray City Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.