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Parkersburg man pleads guilty to child pornography crime

(Court Reports - Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

CHARLESTON — A Parkersburg man recently pleaded guilty to production of child pornography/

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia,

Jon Ryan LaFever, 29, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty June 6 to production of child pornography and faces between 15 and 30 years in prison when sentenced on Sept. 5.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about March 16, 2023, LaFever posted a picture of a 7-year-old girl on an instant messaging mobile app and sent several additional photos, some of which were explicit, to another app user, as well as two videos, that included inappropriate contact by LaFever with the child.

On March 20, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of LaFever’s Parkersburg residence. LaFever admitted to officers that he sent the videos on the messaging app. An electronic device was seized during the search, and a forensic analysis found it stored several images and videos depicting the minor female, which LaFever admitted creating with his cell phone.

LaFever further admitted to possessing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on his phone and an online file-storage account, and that some of this child pornography depicted prepubescent minors.

In addition to prison time, LaFever faces at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He also owes restitution, in an amount to be determined by the court, and must register as a sex offender.

U.S. Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the West Virginia State Police.

U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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