Man Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years for Distribution of Child Pornography

RICHMOND, Va. – Patrick Lawrence Raines, 41, of Sandston, was sentenced today to 78 months in prison and five years of supervised release for distribution of child pornography.  Raines was also ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Raines pleaded guilty on Nov. 10, 2015.  According to court documents, Raines was identified after the FBI learned that a computer user was using a cellular device to make child pornography files available to other users for download.  Based on this information, the FBI went to the Raines’s residence in Milford to speak with him.  Raines agreed to be interviewed, during which he admitted searching for and downloading child pornography from the Internet. He also admitted allowing other users to download files from his computer.  At the conclusion of the interview, Raines gave the FBI consent to search his computer and cell phone.  A forensic examination of these items revealed the presence of 466 images and 38 videos of child pornography.   

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Virginia Attorney General; 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.  Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas K. Johnstone IV 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. 3:15-cr-84.