A former U.S. service member was sentenced to 30 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to six counts of child sexual abuse in November 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced March 24.
While serving as a Senior Master Sergeant in the Air Force at Langley Air Force Base, 38-year-old Elliott Velez admitted he had solicited child pornography from underage girls while using Snapchat, WRIC reported in November. From the summer of 2021 through March 2022, Velez used 28 falsified online accounts to “engage in sexually graphic conversations with girls under the age of 18,” according to a press release from the attorney’s office.
Former Servicemember Sentenced to 30 Years for Directing Minors to Produce Child Pornography https://t.co/UGoOkLZXUZ
— U.S. Attorney EDVA (@EDVAnews) March 24, 2023
“During these conversations with the victims, Velez would instruct them to engage in sexually explicit conduct, take photos or videos, and send the images to him. Velez would give explicit instructions on what he wanted them to do and who he wanted them to engage in sexually explicit conduct with, including other underage individuals,” the release reads.
Investigators discovered that in the course of one week, Velez had engaged in more than 7,000 such explicit conversations with minors, using a recording device on his phone to ensure he could retain the videos and images he received without the victim’s knowledge, according to the release. (RELATED: Josh Duggar Gets Child Pornography Prison Sentence Extended)
Langley Air Force Base confirmed to WRIC in November that Velez was stationed at the facility until his arrest March 31, 2022. Velez was placed on “no-pay” status at the time of his arrest, and further military action would be decided “after receipt and review of the documents and evidence.”
“The Air Force takes all allegations involving children very seriously and fully cooperated with civilian authorities throughout this case,” a base spokesperson told the outlet at the time. “We commend the investigative and prosecutorial work by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice.”
Velez was sentenced to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for production of child sexual abuse material, according to the press release.