Former Stafford County Sheriff's Sergeant Justin Forman charged with receiving child sexual abuse material.
STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. - A former Stafford County Sheriff's sergeant is facing charges for receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to court documents.
What we know:
Justin Forman is no longer with the Sheriff's Office, officials said. He was terminated due to personal conduct that violated office policies rather than for professional conduct, a spokesperson said.
An investigation was launched after the FBI got a tip about an account that was associated with Forman being used to secure CSAM. He was employed as a patrol sergeant at the time, according to court documents.
On July 30, the FBI executed a search warrant on Forman's home and devices, seizing 16 devices, including an iPhone.
A forensic review revealed a Telegram account that was used to order and pay for images and videos.
FBI investigation
According to court documents, on Aug. 14, 2024, Forman’s Telegram account interacted with an account which sent a price list that included 18 different photo packages. 11 of them were tabled as CSAM, court documents allege.
On Aug. 19, 2024, Forman's account responded saying he wanted to purchase "category 3 crypto," which was allegedly labeled as "Kids + Teens (0-17)."
The user then sent list of options to pay using cryptocurrency and requested a screenshot after payment. Forman's account sent a screenshot showing a Bitcoin payment of $110.23 and the user replied with 30 links.
On May 31, 2023, Forman's account sent messages to the account, which replied with images and videos that contained CSAM, according to court documents.
During that conversation, the user sent Forman's account about 300 videos and 11 images. While documents say not all were reviewed by court officials, it is noted that the majority appear to be CSAM.
Documents also detail how, on June 8, 2023, the user sent Forman's account a screenshot with various videos and a message offering permanent access to 300 videos for $25. On July 1, 2023, Forman's account replied "$25 for the new videos" and the other user sent a message with PayPal information.
On July 6, 2023, Forman's account said, "Just sent," and the other user replied with what appears to be CSAM videos, court documents allege.
Forman is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 3, according to court documents.
The Source: This information is from court documents filed in Eastern Virginia's District Court.