Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Derick Russell Legg, 48, of Huntington, was sentenced today to six years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography. Legg must also register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about September 19, 2019, through on or about January 28, 2020, Legg used peer-to-peer file sharing programs to receive digital media files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Legg further admitted that he possessed 668 images and 321 videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on an external hard drive in Huntington on or about January 30, 2020. Legg also admitted to possessing additional images and videos of child pornography on his cell phone.

Many of the images and videos possessed by Legg depict known child victims, prepubescent minors and minors subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Tessman and Julie M. White prosecuted the case.

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. 3:22-cr-40.

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