Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON—Kevin Boteler, 55, of Richmond, Virginia, has pled guilty to a federal charge of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr.; Debra Evans Smith, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Boteler entered the guilty plea on December 4, 2012, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan is to sentence him on February 12, 2013. Boteler faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment as well as a fine of up to $250,000. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely range of 70 to 87 months in prison.

According to the government’s evidence, on August 16, 2012, Boteler contacted an undercover officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, who had entered a social network site. On August 16 and August 17, 2012, Boteler engaged in online e-mail and instant message conversations with the undercover officer, whom Boteler believed was the father of a child. During this period of time, Boteler arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the minor. Boteler, however, backed out prior to meeting the undercover officer. During the course of their conversations, Boteler sent the undercover officer seven images of pre- and post-pubescent female children posing nude. In addition, Boteler sent the undercover officer one video of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. Project Safe Childhood is 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Acting Assistant Director in Charge Smith, and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD Detectives and special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who is prosecuting the case.