Man Sentenced to 10 Months in Jail After Sharing Ex’s Nude Photograph in 2024
NORFOLK, Va. — Anthony D. Colbert, 39, was sentenced on March 25 to serve 10 months in jail after he was found guilty of sharing a nude photo of an ex last year.
On Dec. 8, 2024, Mr. Colbert texted an image depicting the victim’s genitals to one of her family members while he was angry with the victim. The victim had consented to the photograph being taken while she and Mr. Colbert were in a relationship, but she did not consent to it being distributed. The victim reported Mr. Colbert to Norfolk Police in January, and Mr. Colbert was charged with unlawfully disseminating an image with the intent to harass (which, under Virginia law, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail). Mr. Colbert has a criminal history including convictions of domestic assaults against the same ex-girlfriend.
In February, Mr. Colbert was convicted in Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of disseminating the nude photograph and sentenced to serve 12 months in jail. That case went forward without the involvement of a prosecutor, because the City of Norfolk, like many cities in Hampton Roads, does not fund the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to assign prosecutors to every misdemeanor case. Mr. Colbert appealed that conviction to Norfolk Circuit Court, after which point the Office became involved.
On March 25, Mr. Colbert agreed to plead no contest to his charge, be found guilty, and serve 10 months in jail with another two months suspended on the condition that he be of uniform good behavior for 12 months after his release. Judge Tasha D. Scott accepted Mr. Colbert’s plea agreement and sentenced him per the agreement.
“What Mr. Colbert did to his ex was morally reprehensible and criminal. The only reason to offer a sentence below the maximum, apart from sparing the victim from having to testify again, is that it leaves two months over Mr. Colbert’s head to encourage him not to harm the victim again, which was not legally possible with the original sentence,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “In many courtrooms around Hampton Roads, victims in misdemeanor cases must fend for themselves and seek a conviction without the help of a prosecutor. This case is yet another example of why, for many years, I have lobbied both privately and publicly for additional prosecutors to be in the room to pursue fair and just outcomes for the community. A victim’s and the accused’s access to justice should not depend on money.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney M. Colston Jones prosecuted Mr. Colbert’s case in Circuit Court.
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