Federal judge fights for full custody after socialite ex-wife arrested on child porn charges

A federal judge in Virginia is fighting for full custody of his two young daughters following an FBI sting that revealed his socialite ex-wife was peddling child pornography and attempting to traffic an 8-year-old girl.

Joel Hoppe, a magistrate judge in the Western District of Virginia, filed documents to the Albemarle Circuit Court on March 23, requesting full custody of the 10- and 12-year-old daughters he shares with his former wife, Eleanor Hunton Hoppe, according to the New York Post.

Eleanor, 45, hails from a prominent Richmond law family. She was caught up in last month’s sting after she reportedly sent an undercover FBI agent messages related to pedophilia and a depraved 30-second video that graphically showed child sexual abuse.

The FBI Washington Field Office agent was working undercover on a fetish website “where people meet and talk about the sexual abuse of children and can trade images of child pornography” as part of the Metropolitan Police Department-FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, CBS19 reported earlier this month.

Using the screen name “titotori,” Eleanor struck up a private email conversation with the undercover agent through the site.

“She reportedly told the officer she was a mother and that she wanted to talk about ‘taboo parenting,'” according to CBS19.

The outlet reports:

The officer asked Hoppe to verify that she was “safe” by sending an image of herself holding up her thumb near her breast, which Hoppe did. Her face was partially visible in the image in which she pulled up her shirt and exposed herself.

On Feb. 27, Hoppe reportedly asked the undercover officer about the abuses he was perpetrating against the nonexistent daughter and said she would be interested in traveling to Washington, D.C. in order to sexually abuse the girl with the officer.

She allegedly stated she wanted to help the officer introduce the daughter to sexual activity on several occasions.

On or about March 12, Hoppe and the officer shared an explicit conversation and she sent a 30-second video of a small female who appears to be a minor being sexually abused.

Then on March 16, Hoppe sent the officer multiple images depicting young girls engaged in explicit activities with adult men.

 

When Eleanor agreed to meet the agent and his fictitious 8-year-old daughter at a Warrenton, Virginia, hotel where she allegedly planned to have her sickening way with the child, she was arrested and charged with distributing child pornography, enticement of a minor, and attempted transportation of a minor with attempt to engage in sexual activity.

Joel divorced his wife in 2021 after he accused her of seeking sex with other men and women. At that time, the couple agreed to joint custody of their children, The Post reports.

In his full-custody filing, Joel wrote: “The criminal charges, the facts underlying the charges, and the consequences of the charges constitute a material change in circumstances regarding custody, visitation, spousal support and child support.”

After her arrest, Eleanor attempted to paint herself as a would-be savior for the undercover agent’s non-existent daughter, claiming she only went to the hotel to find and rescue the child.

That lie was blown apart after a quick search of her car, where cops found the pink silk “big girl robe” she’d told the agent she was bringing her intended victim, along with silk underwear and a pink child’s bag complete with lubricant.

Making an already horrifying story all the more disturbing, Eleanor had previously passed a background check and was employed in special events with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge. She also previously served for two years as a victim’s advocate in Richmond Commonwealth’s attorney’s office.

Eleanor pleaded not guilty to the charges against her. If found guilty, she faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars.

Melissa Fine

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