NORFOLK, Va. - A Melfa man who amassed tens of thousands of digital images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct was sentenced today to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release.
John M. Bowen, 56, pleaded guilty on January 19. According to court documents, during the execution of a search warrant at Bowen’s residence, law enforcement recovered several electronic devices that contained at least 1.7 million digital files, tens of thousands of which depicted the sexual abuse of children. The collection included depictions of sexual abuse of children of a wide variety of ages, some as young as babies, and including files of bestiality, and sadistic and masochistic conduct. Bowen’s collection was accumulated over nearly a decade of downloading child pornography. Also recovered during the search of Bowen’s home was a handcrafted doll, the size of a young child, with a silicone adult-sized vagina insert. Contributing to length of Bowen’s prison sentence is his previous conviction of aggravated sexual battery and indecent liberties with a minor in 2001.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-160.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
