July 24, 2023 - ALEXANDRIA – A man was sentenced on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, to 25 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, Vincent Sarikey, 35, formerly of Herndon, enticed a 15-year-old girl to produce CSAM that he then distributed to other offenders over Telegram, a messaging application. In April 2018, he also attempted to entice a self-identified 12-year-old girl in Argentina to produce CSAM. The minor told Sarikey she was 12 and that he would “go to jail” and refused to make the sexually explicit video he requested. Sarikey then distributed two videos of sexually explicit conduct to the minor to try to entice her into producing a sexually explicit video for him.

According to court documents, between October 2015 and July 2017, Sarikey conversed freely with a friend about his sexual interest in children. Sarikey talked about his attempts to meet, groom, and abuse children, including child to whom he had access, as well as blamed his victims for his own criminal conduct. Sarikey’s devices revealed over 20,000 images and 500 videos of CSAM, including 486 known series with identified victims.

Sarikey pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children and faces additional charges for sexual exploitation of a child in the Southern District of Indiana based on his allegedly sexually abusing a child and using that child to produce CSAM almost 15 years ago.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney McKenzie Hightower and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as 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 Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-CR-56.

Source: DOJ Release