Being arrested for any crime is a harrowing experience. Facing the full weight of the federal government is scary, but when the consequence is your freedom, it is especially scary. However, a federal sex crime case is its own special kind of Hell as just the accusations can destroy your life, even if you are eventually acquitted. This is what one Virginia man is going through now.

The Department of Justice press release

At the beginning of the month, the DOJ put out a press release to “name and shame” a local Virginia man who was arrested for allegedly transporting child pornography. They felt the need to release this press release, release the details of this man’s life and name before receiving a guilty verdict. Even though everyone is considered innocent, the DOJ has began to destroy this man’s life.

The accusations

According to the DOJ, the investigation was initiated by a report from Dropbox and and then investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Arlington County Police Department.

They raided the man’s home and seized multiple electronic devices. If convicted, the Virginia man faces a minimum prison sentence of five years to a maximum of 20 years.

Larger taskforce

This case is part of a larger taskforce, called Project Safe Childhood. It is a nationwide taskforce that was launched mid-2006 by the DOJ. Reportedly, the DOJ is seeking to fight child exploitation and abuse, and the taskforce works with various other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

This is yet another example of how quickly even locals can get caught up in national investigations. If any Warrenton, Virginia, residents find themselves in a similar situation, they should call an attorney immediately.