McHenry County judge issues $500K warrant for Virginia man accused of using Snapchat for child pornography

A $500,000 warrant has been issued for a Virginia man charged in McHenry County with being in possession of pornographic videos and photos of a 14-year-old, court records show.

Ali R. Vann, 29, of the 7200 block of Remsen Street in Norfolk, Virginia, was charged with 15 class X counts of possessing child pornography, according to the criminal complaint filed in the McHenry County courthouse. Vann is being held by the sheriff’s office in Norfolk, Virginia, records show.

He also was charged with six counts of child pornography for possessing photographs of a child he knew to be 14, as well as two counts of soliciting a child he knew to be under the age of 18 for “lewd” performance, according to the complaint.

If convicted of the most serious class X charges, he could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison on each count.

Nia Tariq, spokesperson for the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, said Vann was arrested Feb. 3 at his home by Norfolk police on the McHenry County warrant. He was arraigned on Feb. 6 and is scheduled for a counsel determination hearing on Monday. It was unclear Thursday when he would be extradited to McHenry County.

The charges span from on or about June 1 through Oct. 23, 2022, and accuse Vann of using the social media app Snapchat to commit the alleged crimes, according to the complaint.

A spokesperson from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office declined to explain how and why Vann was charged and what his connection is to the county.

“This is an ongoing investigation between McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Norfolk Police Department,” McHenry County Sheriff’s Office communications specialist Emily Matusek said in an email.

Attempts to get more information from the Norfolk, Virginia Police Department also were not successful.