Scott Allen Forloine II, Child Pornography Possession, West Virginia 2015 · Virginia
William Kerr, Jr., Possession of Child Pornography, West Virginia 2024 · Virginia
Charles William Lourett, Receiving Child Pornography, West Virginia 2016 · Virginia
Eric Eugene Smith, Possession of Child Pornography, West Virginia 2024 · Virginia
Connor Anthony Putillion, Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, West Virginia 2019 · Virginia

Table of Contents

Toggle

Boone County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge
- Key Facts

Boone County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge

A Boone County man has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, a federal crime that carries severe penalties. Gregory Neal Hager, 40, of Madison, West Virginia, entered a guilty plea on October 7, 2025, to the charge.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 7, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hager’s residence in Madison and seized an external hard drive connected to his desktop computer. A forensic examination of the external hard drive revealed 146 images and six videos of child pornography depicting a pubescent minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Hager admitted that the images and videos of child pornography were screen captures from Snapchat conversations between himself and the minor, that he saved the child pornography on the external hard drive, and that he knew the minor was under 18 years old. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Hager must also register as a sex offender. United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006.

The case against Hager is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of child pornography. The crime can cause long-lasting harm to its victims and can have far-reaching consequences for those who engage in it.