ALEXANDRIA, Va.— A 24-year-old Woodbridge man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting children and possessing child sexual abuse material, bringing a lengthy prison term in a case involving dozens of girls between the ages of 12 and 17.
Malachi Morgan Thomas received the sentence after investigators said he used a hacked Snapchat account to target approximately 41 minors during a period stretching from at least March through October 2020.
According to federal court documents, Thomas used threats, coercion and psychological manipulation to force victims to create and send him sexually explicit material and engage in sexually explicit conduct during live video calls.
Prosecutors said Thomas told victims that he led a criminal organization and claimed they would remain safe as long as they followed his instructions. He threatened to hack their accounts or harm them and their families if they refused, according to court documents.
Authorities said Thomas also knew some of the girls were particularly vulnerable. Several suffered from anxiety, depression or other mental health issues, and many had previously experienced sexual abuse. In at least one case, Thomas knew the victim was in foster care.
“Malachi Thomas exploited dozens of girls through threats, coercion, and devastating sexual abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His tactics — leveraging hacked accounts, fear of physical harm, psychological manipulation, and physical assaults — underscore the gravity of his abusive and horrific crimes. This defendant will spend the next four decades in prison and never harm another child.”
The investigation extended beyond Thomas’ online activity.
According to court documents, Thomas traveled to a victim’s home on June 6, 2020, assaulted the victim and recorded the assault. Police later discovered the recording while searching one of Thomas’ cellphones.
Authorities seized that phone while investigating an altercation on July 9, 2020. Thomas had traveled to Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge to meet a victim he had exploited through Snapchat, according to prosecutors. The girl’s father had learned what was happening and went to the mall instead of his daughter.
“Malachi Thomas preyed upon our most vulnerable – our children – and he deserves a sentence that reflects the enormity of his crimes. The sentence imposed today does just that,” said Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Thomas’ pursuit of his victims was reprehensible and unrelenting. We are committed to using all tools at our disposal to protect children from exploitation and to prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
The investigation expanded again on Oct. 1, 2020, when Fairfax County Police arrested Thomas on charges of rape and sodomy involving two minors in Fairfax County.
Fairfax County investigators, with assistance from Prince William County Police, then searched Thomas’ Woodbridge residence. Authorities said they found a second cellphone containing dozens of images and videos of child sexual abuse material, including recordings of sexual assaults involving the two Fairfax County victims.
“Today’s sentence reflects the profound harm Malachi Thomas inflicted on dozens of vulnerable children,” said Darren B. Cox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to identifying and investigating those who prey on minors, whether online or in our communities. We hope today’s sentence brings a measure of justice for the victims as they continue to heal.”
The case stretched across several Northern Virginia jurisdictions, with investigative work involving Fairfax and Prince William counties and the federal prosecution handled in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Thomas’ 40-year federal sentence means the 24-year-old could spend much of the remainder of his adult life in prison.