NORFOLK, Va. - A previously convicted child sex offender was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for producing images of child sexual abuse.
According to court documents, Lavelle Mayfield, 55, of Portsmouth, is a registered sex offender, having been previously convicted of several criminal sexual assaults against minors. The victim in this case, Jane Doe, 16, met Mayfield at church and developed a sexual relationship with him. At one point, Jane Doe ran away to stay with Mayfield. During that time, Mayfield produced numerous sexually explicit images and videos of Jane Doe.
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. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Angela Greene, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted the case.
The Chesapeake Police Department provided significant assistance to this investigation.
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 are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-92.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
