South Riding man sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexually exploiting a child

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A South Riding man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

According to court documents, on June 28, 2023, Michael David Seeds, 28, began communicating online with a 14-year-old victim via Discord, an Internet-based text, voice, and video messaging chat forum. Seeds purchased and gifted a new Discord subscription to the victim and created a username for her that included the word "victim."

From July through August 2023, Seeds directed the victim to record images and videos of herself that were sexual in nature. During video chats, Seeds would instruct the victim on how to pose, remove her clothing, and what sexual actions to perform during the live stream.

Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jeffrey L. Tyler, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa K. Strobbe prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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. 1:26-CR-55.