Falls Church man found guilty of receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A federal judge convicted a Falls Church man on a charge of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He previously pled guilty to receipt of CSAM in the same case and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Sept. 27, 2023, the FBI executed a federal search warrant at the residence of David Martinov Traub, 45. Investigators seized several items of digital media, including a desktop computer and an external hard drive. Traub had searched for, downloaded, and possessed CSAM and had collected over 10,000 images and videos, including 30 known victims identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Traub faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 7, 2026, in addition to the previously imposed sentence for receipt of CSAM. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. announced the verdict.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.

The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office assisted in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Lauren Halper 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. 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. 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-25.