HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A Sandston man has been charged with crimes related to child pornography after federal agents raided his home Thursday morning.
Charles Ellis Jr. was arrested after FBI agents executed a search warrant at his home on West Sedgwick Street.
He had apparently been on their radar since last month, when investigators said he came into contact with an undercover agent online.
According to a federal criminal complaint, someone called strigoi33 on Kik messenger responded to advertisement that was meant to attract individuals with sexual interest in children.
That advertisement was titled, “Looking to meet other taboo Dad/moms for chat n more, don’t want to say to much on here but shoot me an email with your KIK if interested,” according to the complaint.
During the operation, strigoi33 is accused of sending six videos that depict child pornography. During discussions with the undercover agent, strigoi33 said that he has engaged in sexual acts with children as young as 14-years-old, according to the federal complaint.
The agent noted that in one of the videos, the male performing a sex act on a child has a large silver tone ring on his left index finger.
By tracing the IP address connected to the Kik account, investigators say they tied the user to the Sandston home.
Court records show that during Thursday's raid, Charles Ellis Jr. admitted to using the name strigoi33 on Kik.
They also show investigators found photos during a public records search that show Ellis with a large silver ring on his left index finger, a ring consistent, they say, with the ring seen in one of the child porn videos.
Federal officials said that during Thursday’s search, Ellis unlocked his password protected cell phone for investigators, and graphic images of children were found.
Ellis is now charged with possessing, receiving and distributing child pornography. He has not been charged with manufacturing child pornography at this time.
Stay with WTVR.com and watch CBS 6 News for updates on this developing story. Anyone with more information can submit a news tip here.
