Atlanta – from AP– A former magician and one-time church youth counselor pleads guilty Tuesday to stalking young boys in public restrooms at metro Atlanta department stores and secretly taping them.
Jeffrey Alan Wasley, a 38-year-old Kennesaw man once known by the stage name “Magic Jeff,” faces 20 years in prison for producing child pornography. His plea agreement calls for a lighter sentence than the 30 years he could have faced if convicted at a trial.
Wasley would target children as young as 4 in stores such as Target and Walmart by waiting for them to enter a restroom without an adult, prosecutors said.
He would often offer to help them and then videotape them when they used the bathroom, according to the indictment.
There was no evidence of any other contact with the minors, prosecutors said.
Wasley was apprehended in July 2008 after two brothers, ages 5 and 7, reported Wasley’s strange activity in a suburban Atlanta Target to their mother, who notified store security.
The officers identified Wasley from surveillance cameras and days later followed him to his car and noted the license plate number.
Cobb County authorities then got a warrant, searched his home and found at least six videos he had produced of boys in public restrooms, prosecutors said. They also found thousands of other child pornography images that he had downloaded from the Internet.
When federal agents tried to arrest Wasley in December 2008, he barricaded himself in his garage and sought to kill himself by slashing his throat and wrists. Emergency responders were able to save Wasley’s life, and he told the judge Tuesday that he was in “complete agreement” with the plea deal.
U.S. Attorney Sally Yates said the case is a reminder that parents should be aware of their children’s surroundings and immediately report any strange contact with adults to authorities.
“This defendant, while appearing to offer a helping hand to young boys, was secretly satisfying his unnatural desires,” she said. “Today’s guilty plea will ensure that he is kept away from our children for many years to come.”
from www.hiphopwired.com – This is exactly what happens when magic goes for the worse and there is more than a rabbit trying to be pulled out of a hat.
Former magician, Jeffery Alan Wasley, once known as “Magic Jeff” is facing up to 20 years behind bars after pleading guilty to child porn charges.
Wasley, 38, admitted that he secretly taped young boys in public restrooms around metro Atlanta department stores.
With 20 years being the result of the plea deal established, “Magic Jeff” could have done his disappearing act for an additional 10 years if the case was taken to trial.
According to the prosecution, Wasley looked for little boys in stores like Target and Wal-Mart and would offer to pull down their pants before they went to use the toilet. After videotaping the boys, it was reported that he would upload the footage onto his computer.
No magic wand is going to get him out of this trick, that’s for sure. Might want to work on those breath holding techniques.