Corinth Man Convicted by Federal Jury in Child Sexual Abuse Material Conspiracy

A Corinth man is facing up to 40 years in federal prison after a Pittsburgh jury convicted him of taking part in a years-long conspiracy that sexually exploited children for profit online.

Justin Lee Plunk, 39, of Corinth, was found guilty on October 9, 2026, of conspiracy to distribute and distribution of child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced. The jury deliberated less than two hours after a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Robert J. Colville.

Prosecutors said Plunk was part of a criminal conspiracy that operated online from at least 2021 to 2024. The conspirators recruited female minors — some as young as 10 — in western Pennsylvania and elsewhere to produce packages of images and videos and to take part in live video calls with customers. The operation ran across Instagram, Snapchat, and Telegram, with one minor drawn in through the gaming platform Roblox. Customers paid through Cash App, Venmo, and Walmart and Roblox gift cards.

Evidence at trial showed Plunk personally received more than $57,000 in conspiracy proceeds in the form of cash transfers and retail gift cards. He had previously been convicted in Mississippi in 2016 of enticement of a child for sexual purposes.

“Justin Plunk exploited the most vulnerable members of our society to turn a profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The verdict in this case sends a strong message that such horrific and depraved conduct will be met with accountability.”

FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec said the verdict reflected “the jury’s clear recognition of the harm caused by those who exploit children for their own profit.”

U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti of the Western District of Pennsylvania said the verdict “holds Plunk responsible for his role in the recruitment and abuse of those minors.”

Sentencing is set for January 26, 2027. Each count carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Grogan and Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and investigated by the FBI in Pittsburgh and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.

The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department’s nationwide initiative against child sexual exploitation and abuse.