Joshua Dwayne Poff, Child Pornography, West Virginia 2014

Bluefield, W.Va. – A 19-year-old man from Mercer County, West Virginia, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

A federal judge handed down the sentence to Joshua Dwayne Poff on January 10, 2014, after Poff admitted to possessing pictures of prepubescent minors engaged in sexual acts. The images were found on his personal computer, located in his residence.

Poff also admitted to trading video files containing child pornography via the Internet to another person who had a Google email account.

The sentence was handed down by Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber in Bluefield. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin commended the efforts of law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.

The case was brought as part of U.S. Attorney Goodwin’s ongoing initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse in the Southern District of West Virginia.

Poff will serve 15 years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the West Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the West Virginia State Police, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Assistant United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston is in charge of the prosecution. The case is a reminder of the importance of combating child sexual exploitation and abuse in our communities.

We are committed to the fight against criminals like Joshua Dwayne Poff who contribute to the exploitation and abuse of children. We will use every available tool to track them down and prosecute them to the fullest extent allowed by law.

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