Zachary T. Lee Acting United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
A federal grand jury in Roanoke has indicted a Vinton, Virginia man on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The indictment includes allegations of producing child pornography, receiving child pornography, and transmitting obscene material to individuals under 16 years old.
Court documents identify the accused as Alageon Jaytown Lee Gravely, also known as "AJ," aged 20. Gravely is alleged to have used at least three minor victims for sexually explicit conduct with the intent of creating visual depictions. Additionally, he is accused of receiving child pornography from another minor and transmitting obscene materials to a minor.
Gravely faces five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count related to transferring obscene materials. The case involves five separate minors. If convicted on charges of sexually exploiting a minor by producing child pornography, Gravely could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Hanley from the Virginia State Police, and Christopher Heck from ICE Homeland Security Investigations Washington D.C.
The investigation is being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations along with the Virginia State Police. Additional support is provided by the Roanoke County Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at protecting children from exploitation and abuse. It combines resources from federal, state, and local levels to locate and prosecute offenders while identifying and rescuing victims.
It should be noted that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
