ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Sterling man who downloaded thousands of child pornography images and videos was sentenced today to five years in prison.
Stephen Thomas Crawford, 30, pleaded guilty on March 29 to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. According to court documents, Crawford used a peer-to-peer file sharing network to download thousands of child pornography videos and images, including images and videos depicting pre-pubescent girls engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This case is 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. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources" for more information about Internet safety education.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel Smith III and Kellen S. Dwyer 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. 1:17-cr-32.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
