Related Federal Cases
- Ashburn Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Receipt · Maryland
- James City County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge · Texas
- Gloucester Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography · Texas
- Arlington Man Gets 100 Months for Child Pornography Hoard · Washington
- Vincenzo Leonardi Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography · West Virginia
Bluemont Man Sentenced for Child Pornography
Alexandria, VA – A 36-year-old Bluemont man was sentenced to 19 years in prison for producing and distributing child pornography, according to a federal jury conviction on October 8, 2020.
Kevin Hewlett, a farrier who trims and shoes horses’ hooves, was hired to care for a minor girl’s horses. He began communicating with the minor regularly through text messages and social media applications, eventually recording himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the minor in his bedroom in August 2018.
Months later, in January 2019, Hewlett sent the minor the recording of the explicit conduct. The case was investigated by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task force.
Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Smith III and Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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. Hewlett’s sentence reflects the severity of the crimes he committed and serves as a warning to those who would exploit children in similar ways.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-64.
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Sex CrimesSex CrimesSex CrimesSex Crimes