A Highland Springs man was sentenced this week to 20 years in prison for distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents, in April 2022, Deric Wallace Peacock, 39, of Henrico County, used Wickr, an encrypted messaging service, to distribute child pornography using his “vapastor” user account.
At the time that Peacock distributed the child pornography, he was on probation for two prior state court convictions for procuring sex acts by computer of an individual believed to be under the age of 15.
Prior to his incarceration stemming from his 2014 convictions, the defendant was a youth pastor at South Hopewell Church of God, which no longer exists.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Gibney.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Jordan-Detamore prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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Crystal Graham
