Michael Tibbs, a 24-year-old from Carroll County, Virginia, has been charged with sexual exploitation of children following an arrest by FBI agents. This development comes after a 15-year-old victim reported Tibbs' conduct to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center in April 2023, alleging grooming and requests for nude images.
FBI agents investigated the allegations and identified Tibbs as the individual responsible, using records from Discord messages. Evidence indicated that Tibbs had engaged in sexual conversations with multiple minor girls since at least November 2022, offering payments for sexually explicit images and videos. Interviews with several victims substantiated these claims.
In July 2024, a search warrant at Tibbs' residence resulted in the seizure of a phone containing explicit images and videos, some depicting minors, including a 13-year-old. The phone also held computer-generated images of child abuse. Tibbs confessed to purchasing content from minors through Discord, estimating that he engaged with 10 to 15 underage girls, and linked his interest to exposure to child pornography on TikTok.
This case is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and prosecution is led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman. The initiative falls under Project Safe Childhood, which the Department of Justice established in 2006 to combat child exploitation and abuse. For additional information on the initiative, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, announced the arrest. It is important to note that a criminal complaint is an allegation, and Tibbs is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.