Thomas Cervantes, Child Sex Abuse, Virginia 2024

A Virginia Beach man has pleaded guilty to producing and distributing child sexual abuse material, leaving behind a trail of exploitation and trauma for the victims involved.

According to court documents, Thomas Cervantes, 24, used social media applications to manipulate and coerce minors into creating sexually explicit images that he could then distribute over the internet. In one instance, Cervantes offered money to a minor to initially induce her to create a sexually explicit video of her. He also threatened to send the images to her family members if she did not comply.

Cervantes was found to have enticed and coerced other minors, and even shared a video on social media of himself assaulting a minor. The full extent of his crimes is still unknown, but it is clear that his actions had a profound impact on the lives of those he exploited.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, along with the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted Cervantes’ plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky is prosecuting the case, which is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Cervantes is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

It is worth noting that child sexual exploitation is a serious and growing problem in our society. The exploitation of children for sexual gain is a heinous crime that can have long-lasting and devastating effects on the victims. It is essential that we continue to work together to combat this issue and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

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