Cabell County Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

CABELL COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO PRODUCING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Cabell County man pled guilty yesterday to child pornography crimes, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. David Ray Pelfrey, 40, of Huntington, entered his guilty plea to two counts of production of child pornography.  Stuart praised the investigation conducted by the Huntington Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

“These crimes are horrific,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “We should all be incredibly grateful to the FBI and the Huntington Police Department for their efforts to investigate sexual predators like Pelfrey that prey on our children.  My intention is to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law and get them locked up for as long as possible.”

Pelfrey admitted that on May 20, 2017, he took a sexually explicit photograph of a 16-year-old female, and that on June 1, 2017, he took a video depicting himself engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the same minor female. Pelfrey further admitted that possessed at least one sexually explicit image of another minor female on his cell phone.

Pelfrey faces at least 15 and up to 60 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 4, 2018, although pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement between the United States and Pelfrey, he will receive a sentence of 18 years in prison if the District Court accepts the agreement. Upon his release from prison, he will be required to serve a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

First Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Johnston and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald are in charge of the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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