ROME, Ga. – Stacy Keith Wisener, a repeat sex offender, has been sentenced to three decades in federal prison for sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl and producing child pornography depicting the abuse. Wisener also received a concurrent term of imprisonment for possessing mail he had stolen from the U.S. Postal Service processing facility where he worked.
“After his release from Georgia’s sex offender registry, Wisener resumed his predatory activities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “His horrific targeting of this child is unbelievable. The extraordinary courage of Wisener’s young victim, and outstanding cooperation between investigators and prosecutors on the federal, state, and local levels, brought this repeat child predator to justice.”
“Wisener’s decision to continue to exploit children, even after working to get off the sex offender registry, now puts him in prison for decades,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “It is difficult to measure the pain and suffering this victim has endured. This case serves as an example of the FBI and our partners’ commitment to bring to justice despicable predators that prey on vulnerable children for their own gratification.”
“This defendant wasted a second chance after being removed from the sex offender registry by reoffending, this time with far more egregious crimes. The GBI is committed to working with our partners to protect our young ones who are most vulnerable,” said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Assistant Director John Melvin.
“Given the horrid nature of Wisener’s conduct, we are especially grateful for the hard work and dedication of the investigative and legal teams,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott Pierce, USPS Office of Inspector General, Southern Area Field Office. “This sentence, likely leading to life behind bars, is a critical step in protecting those most vulnerable to predators like Wisener. The USPS Office of Inspector General will continue to work hand-in-hand with our local, state and federal partners to hold accountable any Postal Service employee who chooses to violate the law.”
“We are thankful for the strong relationships that we have with our state and federal partners. In complex cases like these, those partnerships help secure convictions which will ensure that no other child will ever be terrorized by this man. I would like to sincerely thank all of the individuals who played a role in securing this conviction for these appalling crimes,” said Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge.
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: for approximately four years, Wisener sexually molested a minor girl and routinely photographed and videotaped himself assaulting her. The abuse began in 2017, just a few months after a Paulding County Superior Court judge granted Wisener’s application to be removed from Georgia’s sex offender registry. Wisener had been added to the registry in 2003, when he pleaded guilty to molesting a different child under the age of 16. For that crime, Wisener was sentenced to probation in lieu of any jail time.
In October 2021, the victim, who Wisener had started molesting in 2017 when she was 11 years old, reported the abuse to her parents and local law enforcement. The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office immediately obtained a warrant to search Wisener’s home, where many of the assaults occurred. Deputies found and seized multiple data storage devices, including hard drives, flash drives, SD cards, micro-SD cards, and compact discs. A camera, a video camera, and a computer were also seized. Many of the seized devices contained child pornography, including but not limited to photographs and videos of Wisener molesting the victim.
During the search, deputies also located thousands of pieces of unopened mail, including packages, that bore the names and addresses of people other than Wisener. Wisener stole these items from the Postal Service processing and distribution facility on Crown Road in Atlanta.
Stacy Keith Wisener, 60, of Dallas, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen to 30 years in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release. Additionally, Wisener was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $175,000, a $5,200 special assessment, and to forfeit his house as property he had used to produce child pornography. Finally, Wisener was required to re-register as a sex offender.
Wisener was convicted of the federal child exploitation and stolen mail possession charges on April 29, 2022, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, and United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. The Paulding County District Attorney’s Office and United States Marshals Service provided valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leanne M. Marek and Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia B. Smith is representing the government in the related civil forfeiture action against Wisener’s house.
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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.