CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A Kanawha County man has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Billy Eggleston, 50, of St. Albans appeared in court today, March 7, 2023, where he pleaded guilty to the charge of production of child pornography. His sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 3.

The DOJ says when he is sentenced, Eggleston faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison along with five years to a life time of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.

According to court documents and statements, Eggleston is accused of inducing a prepubescent minor to “engage in sexually explicit conduct” for the purpose of being photographed on March 26, 2020. The DOJ says Eggleston admitted to to taking 24 photos of the explicit conduct on his cell phone and transferring the images to his computer.

Court documents also say Eggleston admitted that he had nearly 5,000 images and videos of child pornography on his computer and a memory card, one of which allegedly depicted an a female victim in the age range of 4-7 years old, and another image depicting a female victim between 2-4 years of age.