Two Danville men, Matthew Ceasar Ferguson, 22, and Joshua Malik Coleman, 22, have pleaded guilty to a charge of production of child pornography in U.S. District Court in Danville, Virginia.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the two men contacted a 15-year-old girl via Facebook Messenger on October 22, 2016, and asked her to hang out. They picked her up and took her to their house, where they gave her alcoholic drinks and smoked K-2, a synthetic form of marijuana.
The girl passed out and when she woke up, she did not feel well and asked the two men to drive her to the hospital. They dropped her off outside and drove away. A few weeks later, the girl saw videos on Facebook showing her engaging in sexual intercourse with Ferguson and Coleman.
The videos, which were recorded on a cellphone, showed Ferguson and Coleman having sex with the girl while she was unresponsive. The girl did not give permission for the sexual contact or the filming of it.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Danville Police Department, the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, and the Danville Commonwealth Attorney. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather L. Carlton and Ronald M. Huber are prosecuting the case.
Ferguson and Coleman each face a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years’ incarceration. They are currently being held without bond.
U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen said, ‘Protecting children from sexual exploitation is among our top priorities.’ He praised the dedication and commitment of federal, state, and local partners in bringing the two men to justice.
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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