CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A man was sentenced to 254 months in federal prison following the sexual exploitation of at least six minors, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia said.
In June 2024, Elliott Atwell pled guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography.
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“This defendant targeted young people who put their trust in him as a coach and mentor and violated that trust to satisfy his own desires. I am grateful to the men and women of the FBI who tirelessly investigated this case and brought some semblance of justice to the victims. Cases like these remind us how vulnerable our young people are and how vigilant we must be to protect them from manipulative online predators.”
Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Zachary T. Lee
Court documents show that Atwell portrayed himself as a virtual bodybuilding coach for high schoolers from 2012 to 2020. He would claim to “mentor” the minors, and would soon move conversations to more sexual topics. Atwell encouraged minors to send nude pictures and photos of themselves under the guise of “coaching.” There were reportedly at least six minors that sent explicit recordings to ATwell.
Law enforcement said that Atwell would send gifts, including a camera and various sexual items to the minors, and then give detailed instructions on what explicit activities he wanted them to record and send. The FBI later found over 300 images and videos in Atwell’s iCloud account that contained underage individuals performing or engaging in sexually explicit acts.
“FBI Richmond is unwavering in its commitment to seeking justice for victims of child exploitation. Today’s guilty verdict is the culmination of years of relentless work and dedication by our agents and analysts. Together with our partners, the FBI will continue protecting our children by removing harmful predators from our communities.”
Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division
This case was brought as Project Safe Childhood an initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, the Attorney’s Office said.