WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eleanor Hunton Hoppe, 46, of Charlottesville, Virginia, has been sentenced to 135 months (over 11 years) in federal prison for distributing child pornography as part of a disturbing plot to sexually abuse a minor.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Emily Odom of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Hoppe pleaded guilty on April 24, 2024, to one count of distribution of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. Under the terms of her plea agreement, she will serve 135 months in federal custody followed by 10 years of supervised release. She is also required to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 25 years.
According to court filings, Hoppe was first identified in February 2023 by an undercover law enforcement officer during an online investigation into the distribution of child sexual abuse material. Hoppe engaged the officer on a social media platform known for illicit content, where she shared child pornography and expressed repeated interest in abusing an eight-year-old girl the officer claimed was his daughter.
On March 16, 2023, Hoppe arranged to meet the officer and the purported child at a motel in Warrenton, Virginia, with the intent to commit sexual abuse. She was arrested upon arrival by law enforcement officers.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the MPD’s Youth and Family Services Division, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Rachel Forman.
For more information on how to report child exploitation, visit CyberTipline.org.
