Springfield Man Arrested For Producing Child Pornography

ALEXANDRIA, Va. –  Andrew Choi, 35, of Springfield, Va., was arrested today on charges of production and possession of child pornography.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Chief of Police Douglas W. Keen of the Manassas City Police Department made the announcement after Choi’s initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan.

            According to court documents and court proceedings today, Choi engaged in online video chats with underage boys between May 2012 and January 2013.  The underage boys performed sex acts on camera and Choi recorded it using a screen capture program.  In addition, hundreds of other images and videos of child pornography were also discovered on Choi’s computers.

            Choi is charged with production of child pornography, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and maximum of 30 years in prison, if convicted.  He is also charged with possession of child pornography, and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, if convicted.

Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation was conducted by the Manassas City Police Department and the Northern Virginia/DC Internet Crimes against Children Task Force.  Special Assistant United States Attorney Alicia J. Yass, a Trial Attorney with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, 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 United States 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 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.
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