Patrick Joseph Friedel, 29, of Arlington was sentenced Friday, April 24, to 192 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release for the production and possession of child pornography.
Friedel pleaded guilty on Jan. 16. According to court documents, Friedel met five young teenagers over the Internet and exchanged sexually explicit images with them. Friedel used persuasion, which included sending the minors depictions of other minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and coercion, which included threats to post images online and tell parents about the minor’s activities. On three occasions, Friedel picked up one of the minors and engaged in sexual activity with her. He took pictures and videos of this activity, which included sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C.; and Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Chief of Police, Fairfax County Police Department made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Fairfax County Police Department with the assistance of the Northern Virginia/DC Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Gardner and Tracy Doherty-McCormick prosecuted the case.