Man Pleads Guilty to Downloading Child Pornography

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Aldie man pleaded guilty today to using the internet to download videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children.

According to court documents, Hares Fakoor, 33, searched for and downloaded child pornography over a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. A forensic examination of two computers seized from his house in May 2016 revealed that, between December 2014 and May 2016, Fakoor downloaded and viewed numerous videos depicting child sexual abuse, including depictions of bestiality. Fakoor also configured a peer-to-peer file-sharing program to connect to the internet through a proxy service, which masked his IP address.

Fakoor pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison when sentenced on March 15, 2019. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force which is composed of FBI Agents, along with Detectives from the Fairfax County Police, Arlington County Police,  Prince William County Police, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police,  Alexandria City Police, Washington Metropolitan Police, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, George Mason University Police, the United States Marshal’s Service and Agents of various Office of Inspector Generals.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division at the Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle P. Reynolds and William G. Clayman are prosecuting the case.

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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-355.