Raleigh County Man Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography Crime

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Austin Michael Light, 21, of Beaver, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for possession of prepubescent child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 27, 2021, law enforcement officers received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding possible child pornography uploaded to a Google Mail account. The investigation led officers to Light. On August 18, 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at Light’s residence and seized several electronic devices including Light’s cell phone.

A forensic analysis of Light’s cell phone revealed nine images and 49 videos of minors and prepubescent minors, including infants, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Several of the videos were of adults sexually assaulting infants and toddlers as well as prepubescent minors, and of minors engaged in sadistic or masochistic conduct. Light admitted to downloading the child pornography from the internet from January 2020 until at least August 18, 2021. Light further admitted to attempting to upload a video depicting child pornography to the internet on January 26, 2021.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Julie White prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-cr-259.

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