Virginia Man is Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Exploiting More Than 40 Minor Girls on Snapchat
Friday, September 25, 2026 - Malachi Morgan Thomas, 24, of Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 40 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). On April 2, Thomas pled guilty to one count of production of CSAM and one count of possession of CSAM. According to court documents, Thomas used a Snapchat account, which he had previously hacked and stolen from a minor, to coerce approximately 41 minor girls between the ages of 12 and 17 to engage in sexually explicit conduct.
“Malachi Thomas exploited dozens of girls through threats, coercion, and devastating sexual abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His tactics — leveraging hacked accounts, fear of physical harm, psychological manipulation, and physical assaults — underscore the gravity of his abusive and horrific crimes. This defendant will spend the next four decades in prison and never harm another child.”
“Malachi Thomas preyed upon our most vulnerable — our children — and he deserves a sentence that reflects the enormity of his crimes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The sentence imposed yesterday does just that. Thomas’ pursuit of his victims was reprehensible and unrelenting. We are committed to using all tools at our disposal to protect children from exploitation and to prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Today’s sentence reflects the profound harm Malachi Thomas inflicted on dozens of vulnerable children,” said Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to identifying and investigating those who prey on minors, whether online or in our communities. We hope today’s sentence brings a measure of justice for the victims as they continue to heal.”
Thomas directed victims to create and send CSAM, and he also ordered the girls to engage in sexually explicit conduct during live video calls. Thomas told victims he led a criminal organization and that as long as they did what he told them they would be safe. To coerce compliance, Thomas threatened to hack the victims’ accounts or harm them and their family members. 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 7, 2020, Thomas travelled to a victim’s home and assaulted the victim, which he recorded and saved in his Snapchat account. Police discovered the video after searching one of Thomas’ cell phones, which they seized from him while investigating an altercation. On July 9, 2020, Thomas traveled to a shopping mall in Virginia 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’ residence in Woodbridge where investigators located a second phone containing dozens of images and videos of CSAM, including recordings of his sexual assaults of two victims in Fairfax County.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case.
Trial Attorney Alicia A. Bove of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-327.
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Source: Justice.gov
