STERLING, VA – A Sterling man was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison for receiving child sexual abuse material, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
John Joseph Chanel, 37, of Sterling, pleaded guilty on March 13 to one count of receiving child pornography. The mandatory minimum sentence for the charge is five years in prison; the maximum is 20 years.
According to court documents, in 2024, Chanel uploaded two videos of child sexual abuse to a Dropbox internet storage platform and used the KiK social media platform to message people about exchanging such material. Prosecutors said Chanel used Dropbox and KiK to discuss, send and receive child sexual abuse material multiple times.
In September 2025, the FBI searched Chanel's residence in Sterling and seized his cell phone and computer. Investigators say they found 50 files containing illegal sexual images of children.
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