SC Man Sexually Exploited 2 Reston Children: Court

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A South Carolina man pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to exploiting two children he had access to while living in Reston from July 2019 through July 2022, according to federal prosecutors.

Christopher George Schoenmann, 43, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina admitted in court that he created sexually explicit images of two children, which he sent to a man in Minnesota in exchange for photos of that man’s underage children.

The two men used WhatsApp to discuss their interests in young girls and exchange images of their victims, according to court records.

Schoenmann created at least eight images between July 2019 and July 2022, which showed one of the two victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The victim was between the ages of 6 and 8 when Schoenmann sexually exploited them, court records say.

During the same time period, the second victim was less than a year old and 2, when Shoenmann created at least eight sexually explicit images of them, court records say. He then sent the images of his victims to the man in Minnesota.

In addition, Schoenmann admitted to storing more than 1,400 images depicting children involved in sexually explicit conduct. About 39 of those images involved the sexual abuse of infants or toddlers, court records said.

Schoenmann is due back in court on June 24 for sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, according to court records.