FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — A 49-year-old Herndon-area registered sex offender accused of conspiring to bring children from Kansas to Virginia for illegal sexual activity is scheduled to appear in federal court next week for a plea agreement hearing, according to court records.
Benjamin Scott Heyman, who was convicted in Fairfax County in 2019 of 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material, is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.
The records reviewed by Patch do not establish that Heyman has entered a guilty plea or that a plea agreement has been finalized.
The latest development follows two extensions of the deadline for federal prosecutors to obtain an indictment against Heyman, who has remained in federal custody since his Sept. 15 arrest.
On Sept. 23, U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema granted a joint request from prosecutors and Heyman's defense attorney to extend the indictment deadline to Nov. 6.
Prosecutors subsequently requested another extension on Oct. 23. Brinkema granted that request Oct. 26, extending the deadline to Nov. 20.
The judge specified in the order that no further extensions would be granted.
During his Sept. 15 initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis, Heyman waived his preliminary hearing and did not contest detention. Davis found probable cause to support the complaint and ordered Heyman detained pending further proceedings.
The federal complaint accuses Heyman of conspiring to transport a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, in violation of federal law.
Heyman's federal arrest came one day after Fairfax County prosecutors dropped 15 state charges against him on Sept. 14, according to court records previously reviewed by Patch.
The dismissal preceded the execution of a federal arrest warrant on Sept. 15.
As Patch previously reported, Heyman had been convicted in Fairfax County Circuit Court in 2019 of 10 counts of possessing child pornography.
Court records in case FE-2019-0000276 documented the convictions under Virginia Code Section 18.2-374.1:1. The convictions required Heyman to register as a sex offender.
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According to the FBI, Heyman was released from prison around October 2022 and remained under probation supervision through June 16, 2025.
Federal investigators said that beginning around February 2025, Heyman used an unauthorized and unmonitored cellphone, which his probation officer did not know about, to access the internet and exchange child sexual abuse material.
According to an FBI affidavit filed Sept. 10, investigators discovered communications between Heyman and another individual in Kansas who allegedly had access to four boys, ages 8, 9, 12 and 14.
Investigators alleged that between April and June 2025, Heyman and the other individual exchanged child sexual abuse material and discussed arrangements for at least some of the children to travel from Kansas to Virginia in August 2025.
The affidavit alleges that Heyman offered to pay for the trip and discussed plans to sexually abuse some of the children during the visit.
The federal investigation followed Heyman's June 16, 2025, arrest after he allegedly arranged to meet someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy.
The person was actually an undercover law enforcement officer, according to the FBI.
After the arrest, Heyman consented to searches of his residence and cellphone. Investigators reported discovering child sexual abuse material and communications with the Kansas individual that formed the basis of the federal conspiracy complaint.
The FBI special agent who submitted the affidavit said the messages provided probable cause to believe Heyman had conspired to transport at least one minor across state lines for illegal sexual activity.
The affidavit does not establish that any of the children actually traveled to Virginia.
Heyman's case has been assigned to Trenga, with the plea agreement hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 16 in Courtroom 900 of the federal courthouse in Alexandria.
Heyman is represented by Ann Mason Rigby of the Federal Public Defender's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Mitchell Scheff is representing the government.
The federal allegations remain pending, and Heyman is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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