NORFOLK, Va. — A federal judge sentenced a Chesapeake man to 29 years in prison on Thursday for preying on an economically vulnerable woman and abusing an 11-year-old girl, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
More crime coverage: Man gets 2nd murder conviction, this time for a woman found dead in Virginia Beach
In 2020, prosecutors say Christopher Digges, 41, befriended an economically vulnerable woman and moved in with her and her child in 2021 after offering to help them by paying rent.
According to the press release, Digges engaged in sexual conduct with the child numerous times and directed her to perform sexual acts to produce child sexual abuse material.
Prosecutors say Digges bought a home in Chesapeake in October 2021 and moved the mother and child into it. According to the press release, Digges made clear to the child that he purchased the home for her and used it to manipulate her when she wasn't available to him.
More crime coverage: Several people helped conceal body of missing Newport News man who was murdered, court docs claim
Digges struck the child, sexually abused her, and threatened to take away her possessions if she did not comply with his requests or demands. Prosecutors say Digges continued coercing and abusing the child until 2023 when she was 14 years old.
In July 2023, the mother provided information to police that Digges had engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the child and had produced and received child sexual abuse materials, prosecutors say.
The government recovered over $169,000 from the sale of the Chesapeake home that Digges had purchased, according to the press release.
