Central Nova News

A Woodford man, Theodore William Cathers, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The sentencing took place today in Norfolk, Virginia.

Court documents reveal that on April 7, 2023, Cathers, aged 49, uploaded four files containing CSAM depicting prepubescent and pubescent children engaged in sexually explicit behavior. This information was reported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD).

Following an investigation, VBPD obtained a search warrant on June 27, 2023, for an online storage account linked to Cathers. Approximately 2,900 CSAM files were discovered during the search. These included images of pre-pubescent children and depictions involving bondage and sadomasochism. Many of these files were collage images showing children partially or completely nude and involved in sexually explicit acts.

Cathers is already a registered sex offender due to previous convictions for two counts of Taking Indecent Liberties with Children Under the Age of 15. In a past incident from 2012, he was found naked in the bedroom of two children aged eleven and seven. He was convicted in 2013 and received a sentence of ten years with ten years suspended.

The announcement regarding Cathers' latest conviction was made by Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, alongside Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington D.C., following sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky led the prosecution.

This case forms part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaboration among federal, state, and local resources.

Further details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.

Information related to this case is available on the websites of both the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or via PACER under Case No. 2:24-cr-17.