A bodybuilding coach from Charlottesville pled guilty Thursday to federal child exploitation and child pornography charges.
Elliott Atwell, 34, faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
According to court records, Atwell sexually exploited at least six minors over the course of three years.
Between December 2013 and April 2020, Atwell manipulated at least six minors to record themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then send those recordings to him.
Atwell sent them gifts, including a digital camera, sex toys, Viagra, lubricant and other items. Atwell then gave detailed instructions on what sexual activities he wanted captured on video.
Atwell allegedly told a New Jersey juvenile the medication he was sending would cause him to have erections that would last for hours and would allow him to have sex “like a porn star.”
The juvenile’s mother intercepted the package and turned it over to investigators. Upon examination, the package was revealed to contain prescription medication for male erectile dysfunction. In addition, the package contained warnings to “keep out of reach of children” and to only be used by medical professionals.
Atwell’s iCloud account was also searched by the FBI and contained more than 300 images and video files showing minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of prepubescent boys.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.
The FBI believes there may be additional victims of Atwell. If you are a victim or have information that may be helpful to the investigation, call (800) CALL-FBI or reach out online.
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Crystal Graham
