A Virginia man has been slapped with child pornography distribution charges after a federal investigation revealed his sordid online activities. Andrey Chun Sarmiento, a 24-year-old from Hallwood, was taken into custody by the FBI on March 1, following an indictment for sharing explicit videos of minors on an encrypted messaging app.
Revelations from the indictment, which was unsealed on the day of Sarmiento's arrest, disclosed a disturbing Feb. 13 scheme where the law student purported to quickly distribute multiple video files showcasing sexual abuse of minors by adult males. This exchange took place under the watchful eye of an undercover operative part of the MPD-FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, according to the official announcement from U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott and MPD Chief Pamela Smith.
The task force member was on the application known to attract individuals with a sexual interest in children. Chun Sarmiento believed he was messaging a fellow pedophile and sent a link to a folder containing hundreds of videos, with many depicting heinous acts against prepubescent boys. At the time of the offense, Chun Sarmiento was stated to be a law school student in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Following the grand jury indictment on Feb. 29, FBI agents swiftly moved to arrest Chun Sarmiento, also executing a search warrant at his Pennsylvania residence. He's set to temporarily remain in the slammer until a detention hearing in D.C. can be arranged. The charge of distributing child pornography is a hefty one, hauling a minimum of five years and up to 20 years behind bars as there's a statutory maximum, as pointed out in the DOJ announcement.
The sickening case continues to unfold under the scrutiny of the FBI's Washington Field Office and the MPD. Assisting hands also came from the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office's Harrisburg Resident Agency and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. A courtroom date and subsequent sentencing are looming, dictated by federal guidelines and other legal factors. The prosecution torch is currently held by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney of the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office.
