Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling to U.K. to Sexually Abuse Minor

NORFOLK, Va. – A Franklin man pleaded guilty today to charges related to his travel to the United Kingdom in May 2019 to sexually abuse a minor victim.

According to court documents, in May 2018, Joshua R. Hatfield, 23, began an online relationship with Jane Doe, a 14 year-old living in the United Kingdom. After the two discussed engaging in sexual intercourse, Hatfield, traveled to the minor victim’s home in May 2019 and stayed there for several days. Despite knowing the victim was a minor, Hatfield engaged in sexual acts with her. After returning home, Hatfield informed the minor victim that he had contracted a sexually transmitted infection, although he had in fact traveled to the United Kingdom already knowing that he had this untreated infection.

Hatfield pleaded guilty to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on July 24. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth M. Yusi and E. Rebecca Gantt are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-186.