Southeast D.C. Sex Offender Amasses 3,300 Child Porn Images, Faces 37-Year Prison Sentence

A previously convicted sex offender who lived in Southeast Washington D.C. has pleaded guilty to producing and possessing child pornography, a crime that has left a community reeling in disgust and shock.

Victor Armando Simms, 54, a sex offender with a history of exploiting children, has admitted to creating a library of 3,300 still images and over 250 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. The disturbing images were found on an iPad and an external hard drive seized by law enforcement during a search warrant at Simms’s residence.

The case began on January 15, 2023, when a young girl discovered explicit images of child sexual abuse on an iPad belonging to Simms. The same day, Simms was formally placed under arrest and charged by complaint with one count of first-degree child sexual abuse in D.C. Superior Court.

According to court documents, Simms is a previously adjudicated sex offender. He was convicted in North Carolina in 2005 of indecent liberties with a six-year-old child and a felony child sex act. The fact that Simms was able to continue exploiting children despite his prior conviction is a stark reminder of the need for stricter sex offender laws and more effective monitoring of these individuals.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force executed a search warrant at Simms’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices, including an iPad and a one-terabyte external hard drive. The forensic examination of the external hard drive revealed the disturbing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Victor Armando Simms faces a sentencing range of 37 years up to lifetime in prison on the seven counts to which he pleaded guilty. Judge Tanya S. Chutkan scheduled sentencing for October 22, 2024. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Bond, Sarah Folse, and Caroline Burrell.

The investigation was led by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which works to investigate and bring federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.