ABINGDON, Va. — A Virginia man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for using an online messaging application to distribute child sex abuse materials, a federal prosecutor said.
Travis Shane Smith, 38, of Marion, pleaded guilty in September to knowingly distributing visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He was sentenced Thursday to 87 months in prison, said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh in a news release.
Court documents indicate Smith was identified as a member of a known child pornography online chatroom by an undercover law enforcement officer in Wisconsin and while on the chatroom messaging board, Smith posted multiple graphic videos.