Fayette County Man Sentenced to More than 20 Years in Federal Prison for Sex Offense Against a Minor

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Fayette County man was sentenced today to 21 years and 10 months in prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Christopher Lee Foster, 36, of Oak Hill, previously pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2021.

According to the plea agreement, Foster admitted that in early March 2021 he initiated contact with a person via a messaging application. Believing this person to be a 13-year-old girl from New Jersey, Foster engaged in conversations over the next 2 months wherein he told the minor he wanted to meet her to engage in sexual activity. After learning that the girl was sexually inexperienced, Foster sent her pictures of his penis as well as numerous images and videos of pornography to teach her about sex. Foster also repeatedly pressured the minor to send him sexually explicit photographs of herself, even offering to pay her for such images. Foster further admitted that in approximately 2015 and 2016 he produced (or caused the production of) sexually explicit images of a different minor.

Following his release from prison, Foster will be required to serve a  20-year term of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.  

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald handled the prosecution.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00095.

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