Californian convicted of sex crimes against children in West Virginia

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) – A California man has been found guilty by a federal court jury of child exploitation, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

According to the press release, 39-year-old Alex Kai Tick Chin of San Francisco was convicted in West Virginia on August 22 of sex crimes, including:

• Production of child pornography
• Seduction of minors
• Committing a sex crime against a minor while registered as a sex offender

The Justice Department said evidence at trial showed that from Dec. 12, 2020, to about Feb. 14, 2021, Chin was in contact with a minor girl in the Southern District of West Virginia to take sexually explicit images of herself and send them to her via Snapchat. Chin reportedly threatened to harm himself if the minor did not send him sexually explicit images, according to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department said Chin was previously registered as a sex offender in California in 2017 for possession of child pornography.

A second underage girl in the Southern District of West Virginia was contacted by Chin and the two exchanged messages, the release said. The Justice Department said the messages between Chin and the second underage girl were sexual in nature and Chin again threatened to harm herself if the minor did not send him the sexually explicit images.

The Justice Department said Chin unsuccessfully traveled from California to West Virginia in March 2022 to meet with the two minors.

Chin's sentencing is scheduled for December 9. He faces a minimum sentence of 35 years, possibly life imprisonment.

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