Covington Man to Serve Nine Years for Possession of Child Sex Abuse Material

ROANOKE, Va. – A Covington, Virginia, man was sentenced yesterday to nine years in federal prison for using the peer-to-peer filesharing software Freenet to download images and videos of child sex abuse.

Jerald Gray, 51, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to one count of knowingly possessing one or more matters containing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including prepubescent minors and minors who had not attained 12 years of age.

According to court documents, in July 2021, Gray began downloading child sex abuse videos depicting prepubescent girls, some under the age of 12, engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Based on information obtained through the course of their investigation, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained and executed a search warrant at Gray’s residence on December 8, 2021, and seized his computer and cell phone, among other items. Analysis of his computer revealed at least 65 movie or image files that contained child sex abuse material. In addition, Gray’s cellphone contained at least 11 images that depicted child sexual abuse material.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement.

The FBI investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Miller, Rachel Barish Swartz, and Jason Scheff prosecuted the case.