Former major of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office convicted of abusive sexual contact with a minor

MIAMI – On Nov. 17, a federal jury convicted the former major of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, of abusive sexual contact with a minor under 12 years old.

The conviction comes after a five-day jury trial before U.S. Senior District Judge Donald L. Graham in Miami.

In May 2023, Justin Dale Sigmon, 47, while on a cruise that departed from the Port of Miami, repeatedly put his hands up the skirt of a nine-year-old, rubbing her inner thighs and private area, despite her repeatedly pushing his hands away on multiple occasions. Two good Samaritans, who were seated next to Sigmon in the cruise ship dining room, noticed his behavior, recorded it, and reported it to cruise ship security. The cruise ship’s surveillance cameras also captured Sigmon’s actions. When cruise security officials confronted him about his conduct, Sigmon identified himself as a law enforcement officer. 

Sentencing is set for Jan. 12, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. in Miami. Sigmon faces up to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Filed Office, announced the guilty verdict.

FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Carnival Cruise Line security. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Kahn Obenauf and Lacee Elizabeth Monk prosecuted it.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate better, 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.projectsafechildhood.gov. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-20294.

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