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Portsmouth man sentenced for producing photos, videos of child sex abuse

Lavelle Mayfield met a 16-year-old at church, developed a sexual relationship with the victim, then took explicit images of child sex abuse of the victim.
Credit: Western Tidewater Regional Jail

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — One man will spend 25 years behind bars after he was convicted of producing photos and videos of child sex abuse.

Lavelle Mayfield, 55, was already convicted for several criminal sexual assaults against minors. In this most recent conviction, he was sentenced after meeting a 16-year-old girl at a church who he got sexually involved with.

At some point during their relationship, the victim ran away to stay with Mayfield. He started producing several sexually explicit images of the victim.

Mayfield was sentenced on Friday in court. The case was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Currently, he's being held in the Western Tidewater Regional Jail.

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