By Jonathan Burgos –
A Virginia man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for attempted production of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Court documents prove that on March 10 2024 33 year-old Andrew Fernandez contacted a minor by private message on TikTok and later continued to engage with her by text messages. The victim told Fernandez that she was 10 years old and Fernandez told her that he was under 13 years old, that his name was Levi, and that he previously attended her school before he moved to another state.
The messages quickly turned from normal to sexaul, sending explicit graphics. Fernandez continued to engage the child in sexual conversations and sending graphic images, even after the victim declined his offers to send more. He also made the victim promise to keep their conversations a secret.
On March 14, 2024, a school bus driver overheard victim one describing sexually explicit subjects and alerted the school principal, who contacted MV1’s parent. Law enforcement began an investigation and learned that victim one was actually nine years old.
On Oct. 3, 2023, Fernandez engaged Minor Victim two, a 14-year-old girl, in text and WhatsApp messages, introducing himself as 13-year-old “Levi.” Less than four minutes after his first text message to Minor Victim two, Fernandez sent her a video of himself engaged in a sexual act. On Dec. 3, 2023, Fernandez asked Minor Victim two to produce CSAM, and she declined. When Minor Victim two expressed concern after Fernandez threatened to end their relationship, Fernandez took the opportunity to again send sexually graphic images of himself and pressured her to provide CSAM.
Fernandez began contacting Minor Victim three on July 13, 2024, a friend of MV1 who was eight years old but told Fernandez that she was 10.
Messages found on Fernandez cellphone show that he engaged in similar conduct with several other victims, including sending sexually explicit images of himself, sending CSAM, and requesting CSAM from the victims, some of whom acquiesced to his requests.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik. Siebert and Micheal Feinberg Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office made the announcement after sentencing by the U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony C. Marek prosecuted the case.