Manassas Man Who Had Sexual Calls With 1,000 Girls Faces 16-Year Sentence: Authorities

MANASSAS, VA — A Manassas man was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Wednesday for owning child pornography and sexually exploiting children, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Authorities identified the man as 21-year-old Anthony Benton. Prosecutors believe that Benton had sexually explicit video calls with about 1,000 underage girls from 2020 to 2023.

"[Benton] initially came to the attention of law enforcement when he bought child sexual abuse material, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of children who appear to be as young as 5 years old, over Telegram," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release. "A residential search warrant was executed at his home and law enforcement discovered that Benton had used Omegle, a live video application, to consistently produce child pornography since 2020."

Authorities said Benton had live sexual video chats with about 1,000 girls aged 7 to 17. He had recorded 72 of the video chats without the victims' knowledge, authorities said.

In one video, Benton could be seen texting a 10-year-old girl. In the texts, Benton claimed to be 15 years old and told the girl their sexual conversation would remain private.

Benton's case was brought to federal court as a part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice "to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse," according to a news release. The project began in May 2006, and focuses on locating, apprehending, and prosecuting people who sexually exploit children through the internet.

The project also works to identify and rescue victims of sexual abuse.

"The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for physical sexual contact is well-known and serious," the project's website says. "The danger of perpetrators who produce, distribute and possess child pornography is equally dramatic and disturbing."

Resources are available for people who are victims of sexual exploitation and violence. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation hosts an array of resources for victims and their families on their website.

A hotline for child victims can be reached at 1-800-25ABUSE. Further resources can be obtained from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.