ROANOKE, Va. – An Alabama man, who coerced a 13-year-old Danville girl to send him sexually explicit images and video, pled guilty recently. Kenneth Melvin Doss, 31, of Huntsville, Alabama, pled guilty recently to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

According to court records, in July 2025, Doss used Facebook Messenger to convince his 13-year-old relative in Danville to send him sexually explicit images and video of herself. When the minor victim hesitated, saying Doss was her cousin, Doss responded it could be their secret, and they could delete the chats. Doss also sent videos of himself masturbating to the minor victim, and he described the sex acts they could engage in if they met up in person.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.