HSI Norfolk Investigation Leads to Former Virginia Scout Leader Pleading Guilty to Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material

NORFOLK, Va. — An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk and the Virginia Beach Police Department led to a former assistant scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America pleading guilty to receiving images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Andrew Harris Reshefsky, 42, of Virginia Beach, entered the guilty plea May 17 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk.

“Andrew Harris Reshefsky’s crimes are made more unsettling by the fact that he once held a position of trust in an organization dedicated to the development of young children,” said HSI Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon. “This type of disturbing behavior has no place in our communities. HSI will continue to work tenaciously with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute crimes that victimize children.”

According to the HSI investigation, in June 2023, authorities investigating individuals sharing child sexual abuse material using file-sharing technology identified Reshefsky as a distributor and recipient of the material.

Authorities executed a search warrant at Reshefsky’s residence Aug. 17, 2023, and seized multiple electronic devices in his possession. His phone contained images of sexual exploitation of children received in an internet messaging application in 2021 and 2022.

Forensic analysis of Reshefsky’s other electronic devices yielded numerous additional videos and imagery involving the sexual abuse of children spanning years.

Reshefsky faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 18.

This investigation was conducted by HSI Norfolk and the Virginia Beach Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

HSI encourages members of the public with knowledge of criminal activity to call the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.

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