A Virginia Beach resident, Justin Whichard, 24, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), following a federal investigation. According to court documents, Whichard communicated online with two minors, developed romantic and sexual relationships with them, and threatened to disclose their identities to their families unless they produced CSAM. He later used the material to try to extort an adult by pretending to be the minors and threatening exposure unless he received money.
Law enforcement began investigating Whichard after he ordered a machinegun conversion device online. A search of his residence on July 26, 2023, uncovered 131 images and 15 videos of CSAM involving infants and toddlers. Authorities also found 106 images of animated child exploitive material on his phone and a script requesting the production of CSAM.
While out on bond for state charges, Whichard fled across several states before being apprehended in Tennessee in March 2024. He pleaded guilty on November 5, 2024.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge prosecuted the case. Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., announced the sentence after it was imposed by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.
The Virginia Beach Police Department and the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office assisted with the investigation.
“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 growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.”
Further information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
Court documents related to this case are available on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or through PACER under Case No. 2:24-cr-76.
