Alexandria man Lucas Aronson, 31, was sentenced to 204 months in federal prison for producing child pornography, luring minors into sexually explicit acts online, and recording the abuse. The sentence, handed down today by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga, marks the end of a years-long investigation into Aronson’s digital predation on underage girls.
Aronson pleaded guilty on August 23, admitting he posed as a teenage girl on video and text chat platforms to gain the trust of minor victims. Through manipulative and sexually charged conversations, he coaxed several girls into performing explicit acts on webcam—acts he recorded and stored on a thumb drive recovered during a search of his residence.
The case took a darker turn when authorities discovered Aronson had streamed live footage in January 2015 of an adult male engaged in sexual conduct with a toddler-aged female. The broadcast occurred on the same chat platforms he used to target young girls, exposing the depth of his criminal network and the extreme danger he posed.
In addition to his 17-year prison term, Aronson will serve a lifetime of supervised release upon incarceration. He must register as a sex offender and pay $20,000 in restitution to his identified victims—funds intended to help cover psychological and therapeutic care.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay V. Prabhu and Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). The case was jointly announced by Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr. of the Fairfax County Police; and Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Washington.
This conviction is part of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative launched in 2006 to combat online child exploitation. Federal, state, and local agencies collaborate under the program to track, arrest, and prosecute offenders while rescuing victims. Court documents are available via PACER under Case No. 1:16-cr-138.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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