Former Mauldin High Teacher Sentenced For Child Porn

ANDERSON — United States Attorney Bill Nettles announced Friday that 64-year-old Julian Ray Wates had been sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography.

Wates, a Greer resident, had been a foreign language teacher at multiple Greenville County Schools, including Mauldin High School and Travelers Rest High School, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Watkins.

During the plea hearing, evidence was presented that the genesis of the investigation into Wates began hundreds of miles away.

On Aug. 14, 2010, a law enforcement officer in Illinois logged into the Gigatribe file sharing program and browsed files designated by Wates for distribution to others interested in child pornography. 

The officer downloaded 31 files and discovered images of children undressing and performing sex acts, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. 

Based on the information, a search warrant was obtained for Wates' residence in Greer, which yielded a personal computer filled with hundreds of videos and images of minors engaged in sex. The case was investigated by the Greer Police Department, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Watkins.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims.

Under the terms of his sentence, Wates will also be subject to supervised release for the rest of his life. Wates was already a registered sex offender, having been convicted in 1999 for child porn possession.