HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - A Virginia man pled guilty today to a child pornography offense, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Conner Ray Blevins, of Vinton, Virginia, entered his guilty plea to two counts of production of child pornography.
“Heinous crime," said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “There are far too many individuals like Blevins on social media with the intent of sexually exploiting children. We will prosecute every one we find and lock them up for as long as possible."
Blevins admitted that on October 5, 2018, he traveled from his residence in Virginia to West Virginia, where he picked up two minors under the age of 12 with whom he had been communicating with over Facebook. Blevins took the minors to a hotel in Putnam County where he proceeded to record a video depicting himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with one of the minors. Blevins also admitted to engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the other minor as well.
Blevins faces at least 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 28, 2019. Upon his release from prison, he will be required to serve a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The investigation was conducted by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, the Mason County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia State Police, and the Department of Homeland-Security Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
