NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — An investigation performed by Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, the FBI Norfolk subject workplace and the Newport Information Police Division resulted in a 30-year jail sentence for a former Air Pressure service member for a kid sexual abuse materials conviction. Elliott Velez, 38, of Shock, Arizona, obtained the prolonged jail sentence March 24 for guiding underaged ladies to supply sexually specific materials for him.
Velez, a former active-duty senior grasp sergeant within the U.S. Air Pressure who dedicated these crimes in Newport Information, will face a lifetime of supervised launch following his incarceration.
“It’s at all times a tragedy to witness circumstances like that of Elliott Velez. As a U.S. service member, he sought to characterize the best traits of our nice nation, however this investigation proved him not solely to be a fraud, however a toddler predator as nicely,” mentioned HSI Washington, D.C. Particular Agent in Cost Derek W. Gordon. “HSI and our legislation enforcement companions are watching carefully for indicators of kid exploitation all through our neighborhood. Velez’s sentencing is a results of these partnerships and the watchful eyes of the entire devoted particular brokers and officers concerned on this investigation.”
In accordance with the joint investigation, from the summer time of 2021 by means of March 2022, Velez used over 28 identified fictitious social media accounts throughout a number of social media platforms to interact in sexually graphic conversations with ladies below the age of 18.
Throughout these conversations together with his victims, Velez instructed them to interact in sexually specific conduct, take photographs or movies, and ship the photographs to him. He gave specific directions on what he needed them to do and with whom he needed them to interact in sexually specific conduct, together with different underage people.
A assessment of only one account through the span of just one week revealed that Velez had engaged in over 7,000 traces of sexually graphic conversations with minors. He used a recording gadget on his telephone to maintain movies and pictures with out the victims’ data.
HSI Norfolk, the FBI’s Norfolk subject workplace and the Newport Information Police Division investigated the case with vital help from the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Jap District of Virginia and the Division of Justice.
This case is a part of Mission Protected Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is an evidence-based program confirmed to be efficient at decreasing violent crime. By means of PSN, numerous stakeholders work collectively to establish probably the most urgent violent crime issues in the neighborhood and develop complete options to handle them. As a part of this technique, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on probably the most violent offenders and companions with domestically primarily based prevention and reentry packages for lasting reductions in crime.
HSI encourages members of the general public to report little one exploitation crimes or suspicious exercise by calling the HSI tip line at 866-347-2423. The tip line is manned 24 hours a day.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), liable for investigating transnational crime and threats, particularly these legal organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure by means of which worldwide commerce, journey and finance transfer. HSI’s workforce of greater than 8,700 workers consists of greater than 6,000 particular brokers assigned to 237 cities all through the USA, and 93 abroad places in 56 international locations. HSI’s worldwide presence represents DHS’s largest investigative legislation enforcement presence overseas and one of many largest worldwide footprints in U.S. legislation enforcement.