RICHMOND, Va. - A Louisiana man pleaded guilty yesterday to production of child pornography.
According to court documents, beginning in or about 2009, Alexander Witt, 30, of New Orleans, persuaded a minor to engage in sexual acts with him and took pictures of this minor nude and engaging in sexual acts. Witt also filmed himself and the minor engaging in sexual acts.
Witt pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on August 15. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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, and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge David J. Novak accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather H. Mansfield and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Eugene Fishel are prosecuting 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 are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-5.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
