FORMER YOUTH PASTOR SENTENCED FOR ATTEMPTED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A CHILD

RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 22 -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation Richmond Field Office issued the following press release:

ROANOKE, Va. - A Catawba, Virginia man, who pled guilty in December 2025 to attempting to sexually exploit a 15-year-old child, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Jacob Ryan Barnett, 35, was arrested in August 2025 and pled guilty in December to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old child.

According to court documents, on May 18, 2025, Barnett used TikTok to message the Minor Victim (M.V.) and they began chatting. Barnett posed as a 17-year-old using another person's images. As their chat progressed, Barnett sent increasingly graphic sexual messages to M.V. Ul...