COLUMBIA, S.C. (WJBF) — A Williston County man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor and the production of child pornography.

According to authorities, Justin Allen Chavis, 27, engaged in sexual acts with two minor children, and that he produced photographs and videos of the abuse, which were distributed through the internet by Chavis.

According to the evidence that was presented in court, in April 2020, Chavis communicated over the internet with a person he was told was another adult interested in abusing children; however, the “other adult” was an undercover FBI agent. 

According to authorities, Chavis talked about past and future abuse of multiple children, which Chavis described himself as “active” with numerous children under the age of seven, and Chavid described specific sex acts he had coerced his victims to engage in. 

Investigators say Chavis shared photographs and videos of what appeared to be Chavis sexually abusing children he had access to.

Authorities say that within one day, the FBI was able to determine Chavis’s identity and obtained an arrest warrant and a federal search warrant for his residence, and with the assistance of the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Chavis was arrested.

According to authorities, the FBI recovered photographs and videos of the abuse from Chavis’s phone, and Chavis made admissions regarding his conduct which resulted in Chavis pleading guilty to the charges against him.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Chavis has been sentenced to 27 years in federal prison, followed by 20 years of court-ordered supervision, restitution to be paid to two victims, and Chavis will have to register as a sex offender after release.