Virginia Beach resident Justin Whichard, 24, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) tied to an elaborate scheme that led to him fleeing the state while out on bond.
According to court documents, Whichard extorted two minor victims by chatting online with them, fostering a romantic and sexual dynamic, and threatening to reveal their identities to their families unless they produced CSAM for him.
The plot then thickened.
Using that CSAM, prosecutors said that Whichard attempted to extort an adult by pretending to be the minors, sending images of the minors to the adult, and threatening to reveal the adult’s identity and engagement with minors unless he transferred money to him.
In a twist of fate, detectives got their break while investigating him for ordering a machine gun conversion device online.
During that investigation, police searched Whichard's home in July 2023, where they found that he was in possession of 131 images and 15 videos of CSAM, including infants and toddlers.
Whichard’s phone also contained 106 images of animated child exploitative material, as well as a script that specifically requested the production of CSAM.
Then, he made his great escape while on bond for state charges.
Officials said that Whichard fled for several months across multiple states until he was apprehended in Tennessee in March 2024.
He pleaded guilty to the child porn charges in November 2024 and was sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 25.
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