West Virginia Man Found Guilty of Coercion and Enticement of Minor and Interstate Travel to Engage in Sexual Conduct
A federal jury convicted Joshua Timothy Radcliffe, 43, of Charleston, West Virginia, on two charges related to coercing a minor in Mississippi.
2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 22, 2026, 10:24 p.m. ET
This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.
We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 22, 2026, 10:09 p.m. ET — checked 1h ago.
On August 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi announced that a federal jury found Joshua Timothy Radcliffe, 43, of Charleston, West Virginia, guilty on two charges — Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Interstate Travel with Intent to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct — following a three-day trial that concluded August 20, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Court documents and testimony established that Radcliffe used the internet and a cellular phone to coerce and entice a 15-year-old minor in Mississippi to engage in sexual activity, and that he traveled from West Virginia to Mississippi to meet the minor. He faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison; sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2026. He remains in federal custody.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Madison Police Department, and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crime Division, with assistance from West Virginia law enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glenda Haynes and Kimberly Purdie, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Goff.
Earlier reports
Aug 22, 2026, 10:24 p.m. ETFirst report
West Virginia Man Convicted of Coercing Minor and Traveling for Sex
A West Virginia man was found guilty on two federal charges at the conclusion of a three-day jury trial that ended on August 20, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, announced U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger and Matthew Reidell, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of HSI Gulfport, on August 21, 2026.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Joshua Timothy Radcliffe, 43, of Charleston, West Virginia, used the internet and a cellular phone to coerce and entice a minor child in Mississippi to engage in sexual activity. Testimony established that Radcliffe traveled from West Virginia to Mississippi to meet the 15-year-old minor, and that he sent thousands of sexually explicit messages and coerced the minor to engage in sexual activity.
In November 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Radcliffe for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Interstate Travel with Intent to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct. Sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2026. He faces a minimum penalty of not less than 10 years and a maximum penalty up to life, and is currently held in federal custody.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Madison Police Department, and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crime Division, with assistance from West Virginia law enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glenda Haynes and Kimberly Purdie, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Goff, as part of Project Safe Childhood.
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- Version 123 Aug 2026, 02:52current
First published.
- Version 123 Aug 2026, 02:24current
First published.
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