NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty Tuesday to the production of child sexual abuse material, the Department of Justice said.
In March, the Virginia Beach Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service were trying to identify people looking to have sex with minors.
The online operation led to 22-year-old Dylan Seader starting a conversation with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
The 14-year-old girl was really the law enforcement team operating as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual abuse.
Seader arranged to meet the "girl" to engage in sexual activities one night, the DOJ said.
Further investigation of the man's phone by the Virginia Beach Police Department revealed Seader had images of minors engaging in sexual conduct in his Google photos.
Law enforcement also found that Seader produced visual depictions of himself performing a sexual act with a toddler.
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Seader's sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 9, 2023. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison.
