VA Man Convicted Of Sexually Exploiting More Than 40 Girls

WOODBRIDGE, VA — A Woodbridge man pleaded guilty this week after prosecutors said he used social media to sexually exploit more than 40 minor girls.

According to court documents, 24-year-old Malachi Morgan Thomas used a Snapchat account, which he had previously hacked and stolen from a minor, to coerce at least 40 minor girls between the ages of 12 and 17 to engage in sexually explicit conduct. The incidents occurred between March 1, 2020, and Oct. 1, 2020.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Thomas told victims he led a criminal organization and that if the victims did what he told them, they would be safe. In some cases, Thomas directed the victims to create and send him child sexual abuse material and ordered the girls to engage in sexually explicit conduct during live video calls.

To coerce compliance, prosecutors said Thomas made such threats as hacking the victims’ accounts or harming them and their family members.

According to prosecutors, Thomas was aware that several of his victims suffered from anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues and that many had previously been victims of sexual abuse. In at least one instance, Thomas knew that the victim was in foster care.

On June 6, 2020, prosecutors said Thomas flew to another state and traveled to a victim’s home, where he had sex with the victim, which he recorded and saved to his Snapchat account. Police discovered the abuse of this victim after searching one of Thomas’ cell phones, which they seized from him during an investigation.

On July 9, 2020, Thomas traveled to Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge to meet a victim he exploited on Snapchat. The victim’s father had learned of Thomas’ actions and appeared at the mall instead of the victim. Thomas’ phone was seized when police responded to the incident.

On Oct. 1, 2020, Fairfax County police arrested Thomas on charges of rape and sodomy of two minors in Fairfax County. With support from Prince William County Police, Fairfax County police searched Thomas’ home in Woodbridge, where investigators located a second phone containing dozens of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including recordings of the sexual assaults in Fairfax County.

Thomas also pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material following the investigation. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24 and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 40 years in prison.