RICHMOND, VA—Noland Anthony Harper, 61, of Henrico County, was sentenced today to 292 months in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise that included sexually abusing young boys as young as 11-years old. Following his prison term, Harper will be required to register as a sex offender in any U.S. jurisdiction in which he lives, works, or attends school.

Harper pleaded guilty on July 16, 2015. According to court documents, Harper conspired with three other men to sexually abuse three juvenile victims, photograph the abuse, and then distribute the photos to other individuals over the Internet. Harper helped set up the websites the enterprise used to market and distribute pornographic images of children, and was the enterprise’s principal financier. In 2014, Harper traveled from Richmond to Desert Hot Springs, California, on three separate occasions. During his trips to California, Harper regularly met up with the three minor boys, all of whom were under 16-years-old, including two boys who were 11-years-old. Harper would sexually abuse the boys, both at the home of a co-conspirator and during multi-day road trips to, among other places, the beach and Disneyland. Harper and his co-conspirators recruited the young boys, giving them gifts and cash if the boys agreed to pose for explicit photo shoots. Harper would subsequently upload the sexually explicit images to his computer and online storage accounts, and sent other images to a co-conspirator for use on the enterprise’s website. Harper also distributed child pornography from his Henrico residence to willing recipients.

Harper’s alleged co-conspirators are currently facing state charges in California and federal charges in Nevada, respectively.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. The case was investigated by the FBI as part of the FBI’s Innocent Images Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica D. Aber and Thomas A. Garnett, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel E. Fishel of the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:15cr36.