Virginia Beach man gets 27 years in prison for producing child pornography

A Virginia Beach man was sentenced Tuesday to 27 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material in his home.

According to court documents, on or about March 20, 2021, Jason Woolwine, 44, produced a video of himself sexually abusing a 4-year-old victim. Woolwine’s exploits were discovered during the child pornography investigation of John Stanley Zelinsky.

Zelinsky, 70, of Newport News, confessed to FBI agents that he and Woolwine were romantically involved, shared their sexual fantasies about children over instant messaging application services, and showed federal agents the video he received from Woolwine with the toddler.

The FBI immediately began its investigation into Woolwine and confirmed the information from Zelinsky. Despite Woolwine’s use of anti-forensic evidence destruction software, forensic examination was able to retrieve images of child pornography from Woolwine’s cellular phone, to include the self-produced video with the young boy inside Woolwine’s home.

Zelinsky pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and received a sentence of 7 years’ imprisonment on April 26. On Nov. 5, 2021, Woolwine pleaded guilty to production of child pornography. Woolwine received a sentence of 27 years for his crime.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Osyf prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.