⏱ 2 min read
Nathaniel Carey Lee, a 39-year-old tax preparer and museum guide from Springfield, Virginia, was found guilty of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material over multiple years. In December 2022, law enforcement began an undercover investigation into a user requesting CSAM files on the peer-to-peer file sharing network Freenet, which led to Lee’s identification. The investigation culminated in the execution of a search warrant in June 2024, where agents seized multiple devices containing a large volume of images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Lee admitted to possessing approximately 4 million images of CSAM and/or child erotica during an interview with law enforcement. He was convicted on two counts of receipt of CSAM and one count of possession of CSAM following a bench trial. Lee is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2027, with the federal district court judge determining his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Clement for the Eastern District of Virginia and Nadia Prinz for the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. This case is 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.
Project Safe Childhood aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. The initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to address this issue, and Lee’s conviction is a significant outcome in this effort.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Sex Crimes
- Defendant: Virginia
- Location: VA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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