A West Virginia man was found guilty of receiving child pornography and possessing prepubescent child porn.
After a two-day trial, Billy J. Griffith, 57, of St. Albans, was found guilty, according to a June 15 news release. Griffith worked as an exterminator and auxiliary officer for the St. Albans Police Department.
“I appreciate the hard work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and our other law enforcement partners in investigating the case and analyzing the evidence," U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said in the release. "My involvement in this trial should show the high priority the office places on cases involving children."
At trial, it was established through evidence police conducted a search warrant Aug. 24, 2022, at Griffith's Baier Street home, the release reported. After locating an Internet Protocol address that had been used to download many digital media files including child pornography, officers were able to secure a search warrant for Griffith’s home.
Electronic equipment including an external hard drive, a desktop computer, a laptop computer and a cell phone were seized by police during the search of Griffith’s home, according to the release. Griffith told police the gadgets belonged to him, and he was the only person with access to the computers and cell phone due to password security.
More than 3,000 photos and video files of child pornography were discovered after a scan of all four electronic devices, the release reported.
It was reported Griffith's wife ran a child daycare out of their residence, according to the release.
Griffith will get a mandated minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison; a minimum of five years and a maximum of a lifetime of supervised release; and a $250,000 fine at sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 7. Griffith must also file a sex offender registration form, the release said.
Project Safe Childhood, a federal project to prevent the growing pandemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, was used to bring this case to justice, according to the release. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to find, apprehend and punish individuals who sexually exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims.
It is spearheaded by the United States Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division. Visit justice.gov/psc for more information about Project Safe Childhood, the release said.
