A former Assistant Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America from Virginia Beach has been brought to justice after pleading guilty to receiving images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Andrew Harris Reshefsky, 42, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty today to receiving images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. According to court documents, Reshefsky was identified by Virginia Beach Police (VBPD) as a distributor and recipient of child sexual abuse material using file-sharing technology in June 2023.
On August 17, 2023, VBPD officers executed a search warrant at Reshefsky’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices. Forensic analysis of the devices revealed images of sexual exploitation of children received in WhatsApp messages in 2021 and 2022, as well as numerous additional videos and imagery involving child sexual abuse material spanning years.
Reshefsky is scheduled to be sentenced on October 18 and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of twenty years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties, but a federal district court judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood 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.
Anyone who believes they or someone they know may have been victimized by Reshefsky is encouraged to contact the HSI tip line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Virginia Beach Police Department made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clayton D. LaForge and Joseph L. Kosky are prosecuting the case.
This case serves as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity to the authorities. If you or someone you know has information about a similar case, do not hesitate to come forward and report it. Your tip could be the key to bringing a child sex offender to justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Virginia Beach Assistant Scoutmaster Pleads Guilty to Child Porn · Virginia
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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