20-Year Sentence in 1st Anime Child Porn Conviction

RICHMOND, Va. — A judge has sentenced a Virginia man to 20 years in prison for 74 counts of child pornography, including several charges related to anime.

Dwight Whorley, of Richmond, was already on probation for a previous child porn conviction.

Whorley, 52, was the first person convicted under the Protect Act for anime child porn.

In November, a jury found him guilty of using a public computer at a Virginia Employment Commission office in March 2004 to receive 20 obscene Japanese anime cartoons that graphically depicted prepubescent female children being forced to engage in sexual intercourse with adult males.

The jury also convicted Whorley of receiving 14 digital photographs of real children engaging in sexually explicit conduct and of sending and receiving 20 obscene emails which graphically described, among other things, parents sexually molesting their own children.

The Protect Act criminalizes the production, distribution, or receipt of, or the possession with intent to distribute obscene drawings, cartoons, sculptures, paintings or any other obscene visual representation of the sexual abuse of children.

After serving another sentence of 46 months for child porn and while on supervised release for the earlier conviction, Whorley was arrested after investigators from the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the FBI’s High Technology Investigation unit found child porn on his PC at work.

Joan Irvine, ASACP executive director, said Whorley's apparent addiction to child porn was fervent, as well as inexcusible.

“This man served nearly four years in prison for possession of child pornography, and yet his compulsion to view such material was so powerful that he continued to seek it out," Irvine said. "By working to eliminate child pornography from the internet, ASACP strives to prevent criminals from exploiting this kind of tragic and dangerous addiction to the sexual abuse of children.”

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Playboy Partners With Creator Platform Tango

Playboy has partnered with creator platform Tango, introducing Playmates to the livestreaming service.

Anti-Porn Senator Introduces Federal Age Verification Bill

U.S. Senator Jim Banks of Indiana, who last month urged the Department of Justice to ramp up obscenity prosecutions, on Wednesday introduced a bill that would make age verification by adult websites federal law.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches by Country for April, May

AEBN has released the list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters, by country, for April and May.

Ondato Joins Pineapple Support as Sponsor

Age and identity verification company Ondato has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

2026 XBIZ Amsterdam Website Now Live, Registration Opens

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the website for its annual European conference, XBIZ Amsterdam, is now live.

MyMember.site Integrates FSC's 'PrivateAV' Age Verification Solution

MyMember.site has integrated Free Speech Coalition's PrivateAV age verification tool into its website-building platform.

Pearl Industry Network Opens Beta for Creator Networking App

Industry trade group Pearl Industry Network (PiN) has launched beta testing for the PiN Member App, a networking and collaboration tool for content creators.

FSC: W.V. Age Verification Law Takes Effect June 12

The Free Speech Coalition has issued a reminder notice that West Virginia's age verification law takes effect on June 12, 2026.

Pineapple Support Taps Brad Mitchell, Jean-Micheal Veen for Senior Leadership Positions

Pineapple Support has named Brad Mitchell as its new board president and Jean-Micheal Veen as technology and development chair.

WOW Tech, XR Brands Reach Settlement in Patent Infringement Dispute

XR Brands and Lovehoney Group subsidiary WOW Tech Group have settled a patent dispute over WOW's Pleasure Air Technology.

Show More