FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – A former major with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, who was found guilty of sexually abusing a young girl, has been denied a new trial, court documents reveal.
As we previously reported, in May 2023, Justin Sigmon and his family were on a Carnival Sunrise cruise ship when a witness saw Sigmon molesting a girl under 12 years old, as detailed in online court documents submitted by the FBI. The witness said she saw the victim seated on Sigmon’s lap while he rubbed the young girl’s inner thighs, moving toward her “private area” with his right hand. The incident was captured on video recorded by the witness and surveillance footage.
Recommended Videos
He was found guilty on Nov. 17, 2023. In January 2024, he sought a new trial, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction. He claimed that “the trial evidence failed to show that he intentionally touched [the victim’s] genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh or buttocks with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, or arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.”
However, authorities asserted that the video showed Sigmon touching the victim under her dress on her inner thighs, therefore, showing his intent to arouse or gratify his sexual desire given that there was no legitimate purpose for this sort of contact. The court concluded that the video evidence was sufficient for the jury to conclude that Sigmon knowingly engaged in sexual contact with the minor.
After a thorough review, the court ruled that Sigmon is not entitled to a new trial.
Sigmon is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Courthouse in Miami, Florida.
