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

Luxembourg Media Regulator Fines LiveJasmin for AV Noncompliance

The Luxembourg Independent Audiovisual Authority (ALIA) has levied a fine of 25,000 euros (approximately $28,000) against webcam platform LiveJasmin for failing to comply with provisions of the country’s Electronic Media Law.

AdultHTML Introduces Subscription Option for Website Owners

AdultHTML has added a subscription option for its web development service, allowing site owners to pay a monthly fee for access to developers and tools.

French Parliament Rejects Ban on Purchase of 'Remote' Sexual Services

The French National Assembly has backed off from a proposal to criminalize the purchase, and/or facilitation by online platforms, of sexual services performed remotely by streamers and custom content creators.

2027 XBIZ Exec Awards Pre-Nominations Period Opens

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the pre-nomination period for the 2027 XBIZ Exec Awards, the adult industry’s preeminent career honors, begins Wednesday and runs through Oct. 14.

Takedown Piracy Reports Infiltration, Monitoring of 'Mega.nz' Pirated Content

Takedown Piracy has reported that the organization has successfully infiltrated Mega.nz folders and identified and removed nearly two million instances of stolen content.

Pornhub Unblocks Australia Users on iOS Devices, Citing Apple AV Effectiveness

Pornhub parent company Aylo on Tuesday announced that users in Australia will once again be able to access the popular site if they are using Apple devices and have confirmed their age through Apple’s Australian age-verification process.

California Governor Signs Bill Limiting CIPA Claims

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill to narrow the scope of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), to prevent abusive lawsuits targeting online businesses, including adult websites.

California Enacts Stricter UGC Rules for Adult Sites

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill to impose tighter compliance standards for user-generated content (UGC) on adult websites accessible in California.

Minister: UK Aims to Begin Enforcing 'Choking' Ban Before Year's End

The U.K. will soon begin enforcement of a new law criminalizing depictions of “non-fatal strangulation” in adult content, according to a Ministry of Justice official.

XBIZ LA Conference Website Now Live, Registration Open

The event website for the XBIZ LA conference is now live, offering comprehensive information about the upcoming event, taking place Jan. 7-10 at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE.

Show More