West Virginia Man Found Guilty of Coercion and Enticement of Minor and Interstate Travel to Engage in Sexual Conduct

Jackson, MS - A West Virginia man was found guilty on two federal charges at the conclusion of a three-day jury trial that concluded on August 20, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, announced U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger and Matthew Reidell, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of HSI Gulfport.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Joshua Timothy Radcliffe, 43, of Charleston, West Virginia, used the internet and a cellular phone to coerce and entice a minor child in Mississippi to engage in sexual activity. Testimony during the trial established that Radcliffe traveled from West Virginia to Mississippi to meet the 15-year-old minor. Testimony and evidence further established that Radcliffe sent thousands of sexually explicit messages and coerced the minor to engage in sexual activity.

In November 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Radcliffe for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Interstate Travel with Intent to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct.

Radcliffe's sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2026. He faces a minimum penalty of not less than 10 years, and a maximum penalty up to life and is currently being held in federal custody.

"Protecting children from predators is one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice. The United States Attorney's Office will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute those who abuse our children and seek the toughest penalties authorized by law," said United States Attorney Baxter Kruger.

"Individuals who hold positions of public trust are expected to protect the vulnerable, not exploit them," said Matthew Reidell, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of HSI Gulfport. "This verdict underscores HSI's unwavering commitment to investigating those who use positions of influence, technology, or access to target children, and to working with our partners to ensure they are held accountable."

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Madison Police Department, and the Mississippi Attorney General's Office Cyber Crime Division. West Virginia law enforcement also assisted with the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Glenda Haynes and Kimberly Purdie, and former Assistant United States Attorney Samuel Goff.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's 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.projectsafechildhood.Links 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.