ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A 35-year-old former Virginia man, who used to live in Herndon, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday for producing and distributing child pornography online, the Department of Justice said.
Vincent Sarikey pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children and now faces additional charges for sexual exploitation of a child in the Southern District of Indiana, related to alleged abuse that occurred almost 15 years ago, where he coerced a child into producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the DOJ said.
According to court documents, Sarikey had enticed a 15-year-old girl to produce explicit content, which he then distributed to other offenders through Telegram. Additionally, in April 2018, he attempted to lure a self-identified 12-year-old girl in Argentina to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM), but she refused his demands.
The court documents revealed disturbing details about Sarikey's actions between October 2015 and July 2017. He openly spoke with a friend about his sexual interest in children and discussed his attempts to meet, groom, and abuse them, including children he knew, the DOJ said.
Investigations into Sarikey's electronic devices revealed more than 20,000 images and 500 videos of CSAM were discovered, including 486 series with identified victims, the DOJ said.
This case came to light as part of Project Safe Childhood, an extensive nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the escalating epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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