Inmate previously convicted for child sexual abuse material found guilty of possessing more in his cell

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted an inmate at the Petersburg Federal Correctional Institution (FCI Petersburg) yesterday for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on March 7, 2024, correctional officers at FCI Petersburg searched the cell of inmate James Skibinski, 61, and found him in possession of prison contraband photos. Skibinski’s personal property was collected from his cell and held by staff of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. On April 10, 2024, another correctional officer received information that Skibinski had a folder with hidden compartments where he kept altered images and photographs of children. The officer retrieved Skibinski’s property bags, located the folder, and found the hidden compartments. Inside these hidden compartments were envelopes containing images of young children that had been altered to depict the children engaging in sexual acts.

Skibinski faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on Sept. 11. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather H. Mansfield is prosecuting the case.

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. Attorney’s 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.

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 are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-145.