Pilot also faces federal charge of child porn

Weldon Marc Gilbert, the wealthy Lake Tapps pilot charged by Pierce County prosecutors with raping and molesting teenage boys, is also facing a federal charge of production of child pornography.

Gilbert, 47, is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma today after the federal charge was filed Saturday.

FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said the federal charge will be handled before Gilbert is prosecuted in Pierce County for the nine state criminal counts that include child rape, molestation and sexual exploitation of a minor.

Though Pierce County sheriff's detectives say they confiscated videotapes from Gilbert's home allegedly showing him sexually assaulting nearly 20 boys, Burroughs said, the FBI is still investigating whether he molested more children out of state, which could result in additional federal charges.

"As of right now, he is technically being held on federal charges," Burroughs said. "It is entirely possible more [federal] charges will be filed."

John Henry Browne, Gilbert's attorney, said Monday that he didn't know about the federal charge.

"This whole thing is a stretch," Browne said. "I have no idea what the basis of a child-pornography charge in federal court would be. I think there is a game going on to keep him in custody."

Gilbert, a pilot for UPS, was arrested Nov. 1 in Atlanta, where he was attending work training. He was extradited to Pierce County last week.

On Friday, a Pierce County judge set bail for Gilbert at $1.5 million. But when he tried to post bail the FBI forbid his release. Burroughs said agents put a hold on Gilbert's jail status because they knew the federal child-pornography charge was pending.

Gilbert became the subject of a police investigation Oct. 30, when two men reported that he had molested their two younger brothers, ages 13 and 18.

The 18-year-old said he met Gilbert after his father died when he was 12. He had been living with Gilbert for the past several months, according to documents filed in Pierce County Superior Court. The man said that since 2001 Gilbert spanked him, leaving welts, cuts and bruises on his body.

Court papers say the man's 13-year-old brother also was spanked and sexually abused by Gilbert.

When sheriff's investigators searched Gilbert's home they seized DVDs and VHS tapes, floppy discs, cameras, sex toys, paddles, bondage tools, computers and two handguns, according to charging documents. Investigators said they found the videos contained recordings of at least 20 boys and teens, including the two brothers, being sexually abused and spanked.

Investigators said Gilbert traded the videos with other men who made their own child-sex videos.

A sheriff's spokesman said the assaults were filmed in Gilbert's house or a studio. Investigators say Gilbert took some youths to Eastern Washington to film sexual activity.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com