ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — A Rockingham County Circuit Court Jury has found a Maryland man guilty of online solicitation.

Virginia State Police says on Wednesday 41-year-old Justin Craig Anthony of Williamsport, Maryland was found guilty on two counts of online solicitation of a person he believed to be a minor.

The verdict followed a proactive online investigation conducted by the Northern Virginia Metro D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force from March 4, 2024, through March 6, 2024, in Rockingham County. Anthony solicited an undercover Virginia State Police Special Agent’s 13-year-old female undercover persona in violation of Virginia code 18.2-374.3 (use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children) by proposing she expose herself and engage in sexual acts with him. Anthony was arrested on May 21, 2024.

Anthony was a convicted Tier 1 sex offender and on supervised probation in Maryland at the time of the new 2024 offenses in Virginia. He was on probation for prior child pornography convictions in Maryland.

“The commonwealth appreciates the hard work and dedication of the Virginia State Police and the NOVA/DC ICAC Task Force in the continuing mission of bringing child sexual exploitation offenders to justice,” said Alycia M. P. Eldridge, Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Rockingham County and the City of Harrisonburg. “The jury verdicts of guilty handed down in this case ensure accountability for the defendant and safety for the community.”

Anthony’s sentencing is scheduled for July 22, 2026.