Virginia Beach woman sentenced to over 28 years in prison after recording her sexual abuse of two children

NORFOLK, Va. - Grace Elizabeth Paradis, 43, was sentenced today to 28 years and four months in prison for conspiring to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, Paradis abused two minor children, ages five and nine, which she recorded, and then provided the resultant CSAM to her former boyfriend, Cory Richard Hambley, 43, of Water View.

In November 2022, Hambley, who was married, contacted Paradis and repeatedly encouraged her to provide CSAM. Hambley provided Paradis with a camera to be hidden and used to surreptitiously record images of the children, including Paradis sexually abusing them. Paradis leveraged Hambley's desire for CSAM to negotiate for Hambley, who was married at the time, to commit to marrying her and assisting her with a rent payment. Paradis prepared a "contract" outlining the grooming and sexual abuse she and Hambley would inflict on future children.

Hambley was sentenced on March 11 to 35 years in prison for conspiring to produce CSAM and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

The Homeland Security Investigations Norfolk office investigated this case with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Virginia Beach Police Department, and Middlesex Sheriff's Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Marek prosecuted 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. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

For more information about HSI's efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-44.