HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man pleaded guilty today to a child pornography crime.
According to court documents, Curtis Ray Pelfrey, Jr., 35, admitted that from November 2018 to December 2019, he used eDonkey, an online file sharing program, to download and share videos and images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Pelfrey further admitted that on October 7, 2019, he received videos, using his computer, containing child pornography. Pelfrey admitted possessing on his computer 24 videos and five images depicting minors engages in sexually explicit conduct. Several of the images and videos have been identified as depicting known children. Pelfrey admitted that he has engaged in this sort of activity since 2014.
Pelfrey pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and faces a mandatory minimum of five and up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 27, 2022.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the West Virginia State Police.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie White is prosecuting the case.
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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-00244.
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