A Virginia Beach man, Justin Whichard, 24, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, Whichard engaged two minors online, developed a romantic and sexual relationship with them, and threatened to expose their identities to their families unless they produced CSAM. He later used this material in an attempt to extort an adult by impersonating the minors and threatening to reveal the adult’s involvement unless money was transferred.
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 exploitative material on his phone, as well as 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. The announcement was made by 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., following sentencing 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.”
For more information about Project Safe Childhood: www.justice.gov/psc
Related court documents can be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or through PACER by searching Case No. 2:24-cr-76.
