BECKLEY, W.Va. – Dakota Anderson, 25, of Beckley, was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for possession of prepubescent child pornography. Anderson must also register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement investigators received multiple CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in May and August 2020 regarding possible child pornography uploaded using the MeWe social media platform and the Dropbox file hosting service. The resulting investigation traced the uploads to Anderson, and he was arrested. Anderson admitted to possessing approximately 85 videos and 715 images depicting minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of sadistic abuse. Anderson admitted that he received and transmitted these images and videos via the internet, and that he would view and store them on his cell phone.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen Robeson prosecuted 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. 5:21-cr-145.
###