John Raff, a 42-year-old Perryville, MD man, was extradited to Virginia twice in connection with a case involving him soliciting someone he believed to be a minor. This month, he was finally sentenced.
Raff’s charges date back a decade. Amid an investigation by Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (NOVA-DC ICAC), in 2014, Raff was arrested in Maryland and extradited to Virginia.
After that arrest, Raff posted bond and left the country. According to Virginia State Police, he went to Egypt, which resulted led to a multi-agency effort to get him back on U.S. soil.
The Rockingham Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and Virginia State Police along with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, INTERPOL, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and Egyptian authorities, eventually located Raff.
After he was caught, he was once again extradited back to the United States to face charges in Virginia..
In November 2023, Raff pleaded guilty to three felony counts of using a communications system to facilitate offenses involving children.
Last week, on March 1, the Rockingham Circuit Court sentenced him to 75 years with 36 years suspended.
“This case should send a clear message to criminals who think they can flee justice,” said Rockingham County Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Alycia Eldridge.
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