Charles Tiffit Ellis, Jr., 37, of Henrico, Virginia, was sentenced today to eight years in federal prison for receiving and distributing graphic images of child sexual abuse, marking another grim conviction in the government’s crackdown on online predators.
Court documents reveal Ellis responded to a Craigslist ad posted by an undercover officer that read, “Looking to meet other taboo Dads/moms to chat n more….” What followed was a disturbing exchange via Kik Messenger, where Ellis confirmed his interest in illegal sexual content involving minors and promptly sent links to his Dropbox account containing multiple child pornography videos featuring prepubescent children.
Not stopping there, Ellis transmitted a personal video he claimed showed a 14-year-old girl he met online performing oral sex on him. Federal investigators executed a search warrant at his home and recovered digital evidence on his phone that directly corroborated the online exchanges, sealing his prosecution.
The announcement was made by Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck handed down the sentence, which includes not only eight years behind bars but an additional 10 years of supervised release upon his eventual freedom.
The case was investigated by members of the FBI Richmond’s Child Exploitation Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian R. Hood. It falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the explosion of child sexual exploitation online by pooling federal, state, and local law enforcement resources.
More information about the case can be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Eastern District of Virginia and through PACER under Case No. 3:17-cr-108. Project Safe Childhood resources, including Internet safety education tools, are available at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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