NEWPORT NEWS, VA—Michael John Baigert Jr., 21, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, pled guilty on Oct. 15, 2014 to four counts of production of child pornography.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by Magistrate Judge Douglas Miller.
Baigert was indicted on September 10, 2014, by a federal grand jury on four counts of production of child pornography. The penalty for Production of Child Pornography is a mandatory term of 15 years with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Baigert will be sentenced on February 9, 2015, by U.S. District Court Judge Mark S. Davis.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Baigert acknowledged that in August, 2013, he travelled from his home in Virginia Beach to York County, Va., to visit “Jane Doe 1” whom he met via an on-line messenger app called KIK. Baigert and “Jane Doe 1” entered a wooded area near her home where Baigert committed a number of sex acts on her.
The victim reported to the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office that she had been sexually assaulted. Unbeknownst to the victim, Baigert recorded a portion of the sex acts on his iPhone. Detectives obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s home where they seized a number of items.
Baigert admitted to detectives that he engaged in a number of sex acts with “Jane Doe 1” who he knew to be 14 or 15 years old. Further investigation revealed three other victims, age 16 or younger, with whom Baigert engaged in sexual activity.
In each instance Baigert asked the victim if he could record their sexual activity and was told “no” each time. Following execution of the search warrant, numerous homemade videos depicting young females engaged in sexually explicit conduct were found on electronic devices recovered from Baigert’ s home. Baigert disputes that he asked any of the victims if he could record their sexual activity.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Norfolk Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel is prosecuting the case.
Baigert admitted to detectives that he engaged in a number of sex acts with “Jane Doe 1” who he knew to be 14 or 15 years old. Further investigation revealed three other victims, age 16 or younger, with whom Baigert engaged in sexual activity.
