Joshua Hitchener, Producing Child Pornography, Virginia 2019

Local Man Convicted of Threatening and Blackmailing Teenage Girl into Producing Child Pornography

A Richmond man has pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material after threatening and blackmailing a 15-year-old girl into creating and sending him pornographic images and videos.

Joshua Hitchener, 34, pleaded guilty to production of child sexual abuse material in federal court. According to court documents, Hitchener began exchanging messages with the girl on the Kik Messenger application in February 2019.

Despite knowing that he was corresponding with a minor, Hitchener convinced the girl to send him nude photos of herself. He then used his possession of those images to threaten and blackmail her into creating and sending additional pornographic images and videos.

The defendant's threats included assurances to the girl that he would kidnap her, kill her family, and rape and beat her several times a day. Hitchener also instructed the girl to brand herself by drawing his screenname on various parts of her body and to record herself performing sexual acts.

Hitchener is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project is led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather H. Mansfield, Peter S. Duffey, and Thomas A. Garnett. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark R. Colombell accepted the plea.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc. To report an incident involving online sexual exploitation, call 1-800-843-5678 or submit a report at report.cybertip.org.

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. 3:21-cr-122.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/richmond-man-pleads-guilty-producing-child-pornography-under-threats-and-blackmail