FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jim Rybicki
Public Information Officer
Phone:  (703) 842-4050 Fax: (703) 549-5202
E-Mail:
Website: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae September 16, 2008

Further Information Contact:
Laura Taylor
Phone:  (804) 819-5400

Lanexa Man Indicted for Enticement to Illegal Sexual Activity

(Richmond, Virginia) - David Jacob Bishop, age 51, of Lanexa, Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on one count of attempted coercion or enticement of a minor child to sexual activity. Bishop faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life, and a $250,000 fine, and supervised release after prison for at least 5 years up to life. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark McGraw, and Jennifer Love, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Richmond Field Office, made the announcement.

According to documents filed with the court, in November 2006, a Cooperating Witness (hereafter referred to as “CW”) provided information to the FBI regarding an individual named “David” whom she said she had met in an Internet chat room used by individuals having an interest in sexual fetishes relating to bondage and discipline and sexual sadomasochism. The individual identified as “David” is alleged to be the defendant, David Bishop. According to documents filed with the court, during February 2007, while working under the supervision and direction of the FBI, the CW had multiple telephone and Internet conversations with Bishop that were sexual in nature. The CW allegedly told Bishop that she had a six-year-old daughter. During several recorded telephone conversations with Bishop, the CW pretended to hand the telephone handset to her own six-year-old daughter, and then dramatically changed her voice to sound and talk as if she were a very young girl. During several of these telephone conversations with the “six-year-old,” Bishop allegedly engaged in graphic, sexually explicit conversations with the “child.” Bishop also allegedly repeatedly asked the CW during multiple conversations to photograph the child engaged in sexually explicit conduct and send him the photographs. On February 22, 2007, agents with the FBI conducted a controlled delivery to Bishop of what was supposed to be sexually explicit images of the child that the CW had agreed to send. On that date, FBI agents also seized the defendant’s computer pursuant to a federal search warrant. Forensic analysis of the computer later revealed the existence of numerous images of alleged child pornography.

Assistant United States Attorney Brian R. Hood is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.