Mother of 2 from VERY prominent Richmond family arrested by FBI for child p@rn, exploitation, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hoppe's only hope is to be found not guilty by reason of insanity and spend a few years in mental hospital and be declared rehabilitated and then released.

I think you may be unpleasantly surprised at how the "justice system" works for the wealthy and connected.

At least the widespread publicity will come up in a Google search and may curtail a bit her access to IRL victims.

She's got connections in Virginia, but that may not translate to Federal court and her demographics may work against her at the Federal level. A Caucasian Disney Princess sentenced to a decade in Federal prison without any dispensation would feed the appetite of Critical Race Theory advocates.

That's not a thing in federal district court, especially DDC. She'll get offered a plea based on the facts of the case. If no plea, she'll get a trial before a jury of people from the DC pool. She'll be sentenced based on the sentencing guidelines. Neither the US Attorney nor the judge will GAF who her parents are/were, and even if the criminal defense attorney is well respected, that won't make a difference (although of course her case will be better presented if the person is good). There will probably be some sympathy among both the USAO office and the DDC judges for her ex, who is probably a couple degrees of separation from them ....so that might weight a tiny bit in favor of trying to get a plea that will keep this whole mess out of the public eye any more than it has to be.

The enticement charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, but it's somewhat less explicit than the photos and transporting a minor charges. I think the government would drop the other charges in exchange for a guilty plea for the enticement charge. Ten years in prison is a long time, so she may choose to spend every last nickel on trying for a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict, since it seems like she has some mental health issues.

Where is the evidence that she has mental health issues? Or mental health issues outside of those anyone who wants to molest kids would have?

From previous comments in this thread from those who claim to know her and her family. She may have documented evidence of being treated by a psychiatrist and can most certainly pay a psychiatrist to declare her insane. John Hinkley came from a prominent family and has now a free man after trying to assassinate the President, wounding him and three others and spent his sentence in a hospital. She's facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and could be sentenced to life in prison. She might as well expend her wealth on trying to escape this fate, as it won't benefit her in prison. If Hinkley can get out from under trying to assassinate the President, then it's not beyond the pale to think that Hoppe can not do the same with these charges. There aren't any victims in Hoppe's case. It's all based on her state of mind.

the kids who were abused in the photos/videos Hoppe shared w the UC agent are real people and they are victims.

I agree, but, unless there is a direct connection between Hoppe and the person who produced those photos or Hoppe, herself, produced those photos, the victim's testimony would not be relevant to this case. On the otherhand, if Hoppe is connected, she could spend the rest of her life in prison.

Wait, why not? I thought a victim of a crime (in this case distribution of child pornography would be the crime) could testify against the person who distributed it? There are multiple perpetrators here. Anyone who actually perpetrated the rape/assault, anyone who facilitated it/helped it happen, anyone who filmed it/photographed it, anyone who possessed or distributed images of it. It’s not as though only the person who actually abused the child is a criminal here. They’re all complicit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is she actually wealthy? It does not seem so.

+1

She really doesn’t come across as the wealthy “socialite” the press is portraying her as. Her father and brother don’t even work for Hunton, Andrews, Kurth. They work for their own small practices.

I really wish someone who is familiar with the family would speak to this.

Not sure if you are asking for someone to speak to the reasoning behind her father & brother not working at Hunton, Andrews, Kurth or whether or not she truly is a wealthy "socialite," but as someone who grew up in Richmond & went to school with them, here's my input/two cents:

Her family was certainly wealthy in many aspects for Richmond. They lived in a large Colonial-style house on Three Chopt Rd which was right next to St. Catherine's and across the street from the Country Club of Virginia (CCV) (if you don't know anything about RVA, the area they lived in is a lot like Alexandria & the Belle Heaven Country Club area). Their house was decorated very nicely & kept up well (housekeepers, maids, gardeners, etc.). They drove nice cars (Mercedes, brand new Grand Jeep Cherokee on a 16th birthday), and they had nice clothes. Both kids went to private schools (St. Catherine's & St. Christopher's) from K-12 and then went to multiple colleges, some of which were not cheap. They were members of CCV and the Commonwealth Club. They did cotillion, hosted and attended sweet sixteen parties, didn't miss a ski weekend or beach week (Richmond school thing), etc., and Eleanor was a debutante. Does that classify her as a "socialite"? Maybe. I guess it depends on how you define socialite. But I also think the media knows how to get people to click, so their choice of words is deliberate.

So yes - they were wealthy. I say "were" because I have no clue what their financial standing is now, but I highly doubt much has changed. (I mean, I just looked up the house Eleanor and Eppa VI grew up in on Zillow, and it looks like it sold for over $1.5MM not that long ago, so...)

This is an old Virginia family with multiple generations of "Eppas" who have made an impact on everything from politics to businesses to universities, and a lot of wealth comes with that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eppa_Hunton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eppa_Hunton_Jr.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eppa_Hunton_IV


As to why neither Eppa V (dad) nor Eppa VI (brother) works for Hunton, Andrews, Kurth - My understanding is that there was a nepotism clause put in place way back when it was Hunton & Williams. So only two generations of Eppa's worked there - Eppa III (aka Eppa Jr.), who started the firm, and Eppa IV, who was Eleanor's grandfather.
I don't even think Eppa VI lives in Richmond anymore, but I may be wrong about that.

It sounds like they were privileged, but not wealthy. Being a law firm partner, even a law firm founder, is great, but you don't make millions upon exiting. And back in his day he probably didn't make that much period. It was a good living but not CEO level money. There are no stock options. All the private schools, trips, etc are pretty standard UMC/UC activities. Happens here too, but it's cheaper in Richmond. As an example, the upper school at St Catherine's is $30k/year while DC privates are $60k. If they had maids, gardeners, etc. they may well have been overspending.

Agree that Hunton likely has an antinepotism policy but usually that just means you can't have related people active in the firm, or sometimes active in the partnership. So the dad or son could theoretically join the firm but my guess is they aren't Hunton material.

The lifestyle choices of "old money" families can be very misleading and low key.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hoppe's only hope is to be found not guilty by reason of insanity and spend a few years in mental hospital and be declared rehabilitated and then released.

I think you may be unpleasantly surprised at how the "justice system" works for the wealthy and connected.

At least the widespread publicity will come up in a Google search and may curtail a bit her access to IRL victims.

She's got connections in Virginia, but that may not translate to Federal court and her demographics may work against her at the Federal level. A Caucasian Disney Princess sentenced to a decade in Federal prison without any dispensation would feed the appetite of Critical Race Theory advocates.

That's not a thing in federal district court, especially DDC. She'll get offered a plea based on the facts of the case. If no plea, she'll get a trial before a jury of people from the DC pool. She'll be sentenced based on the sentencing guidelines. Neither the US Attorney nor the judge will GAF who her parents are/were, and even if the criminal defense attorney is well respected, that won't make a difference (although of course her case will be better presented if the person is good). There will probably be some sympathy among both the USAO office and the DDC judges for her ex, who is probably a couple degrees of separation from them ....so that might weight a tiny bit in favor of trying to get a plea that will keep this whole mess out of the public eye any more than it has to be.

The enticement charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, but it's somewhat less explicit than the photos and transporting a minor charges. I think the government would drop the other charges in exchange for a guilty plea for the enticement charge. Ten years in prison is a long time, so she may choose to spend every last nickel on trying for a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict, since it seems like she has some mental health issues.

Where is the evidence that she has mental health issues? Or mental health issues outside of those anyone who wants to molest kids would have?

From previous comments in this thread from those who claim to know her and her family. She may have documented evidence of being treated by a psychiatrist and can most certainly pay a psychiatrist to declare her insane. John Hinkley came from a prominent family and has now a free man after trying to assassinate the President, wounding him and three others and spent his sentence in a hospital. She's facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and could be sentenced to life in prison. She might as well expend her wealth on trying to escape this fate, as it won't benefit her in prison. If Hinkley can get out from under trying to assassinate the President, then it's not beyond the pale to think that Hoppe can not do the same with these charges. There aren't any victims in Hoppe's case. It's all based on her state of mind.

the kids who were abused in the photos/videos Hoppe shared w the UC agent are real people and they are victims.

I agree, but, unless there is a direct connection between Hoppe and the person who produced those photos or Hoppe, herself, produced those photos, the victim's testimony would not be relevant to this case. On the otherhand, if Hoppe is connected, she could spend the rest of her life in prison.

Wait, why not? I thought a victim of a crime (in this case distribution of child pornography would be the crime) could testify against the person who distributed it? There are multiple perpetrators here. Anyone who actually perpetrated the rape/assault, anyone who facilitated it/helped it happen, anyone who filmed it/photographed it, anyone who possessed or distributed images of it. It’s not as though only the person who actually abused the child is a criminal here. They’re all complicit.

I’m not PP, but they are saying that if Hoppe didn’t have anything to do with the direct abuse of the child in the pictures, that person’s testimony can’t speak to Hoppe’s crimes - they don’t know anything about her or her crimes so can’t provide any evidence of her guilt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hoppe's only hope is to be found not guilty by reason of insanity and spend a few years in mental hospital and be declared rehabilitated and then released.

I think you may be unpleasantly surprised at how the "justice system" works for the wealthy and connected.

At least the widespread publicity will come up in a Google search and may curtail a bit her access to IRL victims.

She's got connections in Virginia, but that may not translate to Federal court and her demographics may work against her at the Federal level. A Caucasian Disney Princess sentenced to a decade in Federal prison without any dispensation would feed the appetite of Critical Race Theory advocates.

That's not a thing in federal district court, especially DDC. She'll get offered a plea based on the facts of the case. If no plea, she'll get a trial before a jury of people from the DC pool. She'll be sentenced based on the sentencing guidelines. Neither the US Attorney nor the judge will GAF who her parents are/were, and even if the criminal defense attorney is well respected, that won't make a difference (although of course her case will be better presented if the person is good). There will probably be some sympathy among both the USAO office and the DDC judges for her ex, who is probably a couple degrees of separation from them ....so that might weight a tiny bit in favor of trying to get a plea that will keep this whole mess out of the public eye any more than it has to be.

The enticement charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, but it's somewhat less explicit than the photos and transporting a minor charges. I think the government would drop the other charges in exchange for a guilty plea for the enticement charge. Ten years in prison is a long time, so she may choose to spend every last nickel on trying for a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict, since it seems like she has some mental health issues.

Where is the evidence that she has mental health issues? Or mental health issues outside of those anyone who wants to molest kids would have?

From previous comments in this thread from those who claim to know her and her family. She may have documented evidence of being treated by a psychiatrist and can most certainly pay a psychiatrist to declare her insane. John Hinkley came from a prominent family and has now a free man after trying to assassinate the President, wounding him and three others and spent his sentence in a hospital. She's facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and could be sentenced to life in prison. She might as well expend her wealth on trying to escape this fate, as it won't benefit her in prison. If Hinkley can get out from under trying to assassinate the President, then it's not beyond the pale to think that Hoppe can not do the same with these charges. There aren't any victims in Hoppe's case. It's all based on her state of mind.

the kids who were abused in the photos/videos Hoppe shared w the UC agent are real people and they are victims.

I agree, but, unless there is a direct connection between Hoppe and the person who produced those photos or Hoppe, herself, produced those photos, the victim's testimony would not be relevant to this case. On the otherhand, if Hoppe is connected, she could spend the rest of her life in prison.

Wait, why not? I thought a victim of a crime (in this case distribution of child pornography would be the crime) could testify against the person who distributed it? There are multiple perpetrators here. Anyone who actually perpetrated the rape/assault, anyone who facilitated it/helped it happen, anyone who filmed it/photographed it, anyone who possessed or distributed images of it. It’s not as though only the person who actually abused the child is a criminal here. They’re all complicit.

I’m not PP, but they are saying that if Hoppe didn’t have anything to do with the direct abuse of the child in the pictures, that person’s testimony can’t speak to Hoppe’s crimes - they don’t know anything about her or her crimes so can’t provide any evidence of her guilt.

The possession and distribution of those photos are itself a crime. No testimony from the victim needed. She is a criminal for having those photos and sending them over. That's how other pedos get caught and there are no exceptions for her. In that sense, her guilt is pretty out there.

[Anonymous]

“The investigation further
revealed that Ms. Hoppe allegedly used her own minor daughters as a lure to engage with the undercover officer, whom she believed to have access to a minor child.”

I don’t care if you’re a mentally ill or not. This is sick. There is no excuse. End of story.

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67114161/11/united-states-v-hoppe/

[Anonymous]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67114161/11/united-states-v-hoppe/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is she actually wealthy? It does not seem so.

+1

She really doesn’t come across as the wealthy “socialite” the press is portraying her as. Her father and brother don’t even work for Hunton, Andrews, Kurth. They work for their own small practices.

I really wish someone who is familiar with the family would speak to this.

Not sure if you are asking for someone to speak to the reasoning behind her father & brother not working at Hunton, Andrews, Kurth or whether or not she truly is a wealthy "socialite," but as someone who grew up in Richmond & went to school with them, here's my input/two cents:

Her family was certainly wealthy in many aspects for Richmond. They lived in a large Colonial-style house on Three Chopt Rd which was right next to St. Catherine's and across the street from the Country Club of Virginia (CCV) (if you don't know anything about RVA, the area they lived in is a lot like Alexandria & the Belle Heaven Country Club area). Their house was decorated very nicely & kept up well (housekeepers, maids, gardeners, etc.). They drove nice cars (Mercedes, brand new Grand Jeep Cherokee on a 16th birthday), and they had nice clothes. Both kids went to private schools (St. Catherine's & St. Christopher's) from K-12 and then went to multiple colleges, some of which were not cheap. They were members of CCV and the Commonwealth Club. They did cotillion, hosted and attended sweet sixteen parties, didn't miss a ski weekend or beach week (Richmond school thing), etc., and Eleanor was a debutante. Does that classify her as a "socialite"? Maybe. I guess it depends on how you define socialite. But I also think the media knows how to get people to click, so their choice of words is deliberate.

So yes - they were wealthy. I say "were" because I have no clue what their financial standing is now, but I highly doubt much has changed. (I mean, I just looked up the house Eleanor and Eppa VI grew up in on Zillow, and it looks like it sold for over $1.5MM not that long ago, so...)

This is an old Virginia family with multiple generations of "Eppas" who have made an impact on everything from politics to businesses to universities, and a lot of wealth comes with that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eppa_Hunton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eppa_Hunton_Jr.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eppa_Hunton_IV


As to why neither Eppa V (dad) nor Eppa VI (brother) works for Hunton, Andrews, Kurth - My understanding is that there was a nepotism clause put in place way back when it was Hunton & Williams. So only two generations of Eppa's worked there - Eppa III (aka Eppa Jr.), who started the firm, and Eppa IV, who was Eleanor's grandfather.
I don't even think Eppa VI lives in Richmond anymore, but I may be wrong about that.

Their parents still live there - they live in my parent’s neighborhood near UR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hoppe's only hope is to be found not guilty by reason of insanity and spend a few years in mental hospital and be declared rehabilitated and then released.

I think you may be unpleasantly surprised at how the "justice system" works for the wealthy and connected.

At least the widespread publicity will come up in a Google search and may curtail a bit her access to IRL victims.

She's got connections in Virginia, but that may not translate to Federal court and her demographics may work against her at the Federal level. A Caucasian Disney Princess sentenced to a decade in Federal prison without any dispensation would feed the appetite of Critical Race Theory advocates.

That's not a thing in federal district court, especially DDC. She'll get offered a plea based on the facts of the case. If no plea, she'll get a trial before a jury of people from the DC pool. She'll be sentenced based on the sentencing guidelines. Neither the US Attorney nor the judge will GAF who her parents are/were, and even if the criminal defense attorney is well respected, that won't make a difference (although of course her case will be better presented if the person is good). There will probably be some sympathy among both the USAO office and the DDC judges for her ex, who is probably a couple degrees of separation from them ....so that might weight a tiny bit in favor of trying to get a plea that will keep this whole mess out of the public eye any more than it has to be.

The enticement charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, but it's somewhat less explicit than the photos and transporting a minor charges. I think the government would drop the other charges in exchange for a guilty plea for the enticement charge. Ten years in prison is a long time, so she may choose to spend every last nickel on trying for a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict, since it seems like she has some mental health issues.

Where is the evidence that she has mental health issues? Or mental health issues outside of those anyone who wants to molest kids would have?

From previous comments in this thread from those who claim to know her and her family. She may have documented evidence of being treated by a psychiatrist and can most certainly pay a psychiatrist to declare her insane. John Hinkley came from a prominent family and has now a free man after trying to assassinate the President, wounding him and three others and spent his sentence in a hospital. She's facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and could be sentenced to life in prison. She might as well expend her wealth on trying to escape this fate, as it won't benefit her in prison. If Hinkley can get out from under trying to assassinate the President, then it's not beyond the pale to think that Hoppe can not do the same with these charges. There aren't any victims in Hoppe's case. It's all based on her state of mind.

the kids who were abused in the photos/videos Hoppe shared w the UC agent are real people and they are victims.

I agree, but, unless there is a direct connection between Hoppe and the person who produced those photos or Hoppe, herself, produced those photos, the victim's testimony would not be relevant to this case. On the otherhand, if Hoppe is connected, she could spend the rest of her life in prison.

Wait, why not? I thought a victim of a crime (in this case distribution of child pornography would be the crime) could testify against the person who distributed it? There are multiple perpetrators here. Anyone who actually perpetrated the rape/assault, anyone who facilitated it/helped it happen, anyone who filmed it/photographed it, anyone who possessed or distributed images of it. It’s not as though only the person who actually abused the child is a criminal here. They’re all complicit.

I’m not PP, but they are saying that if Hoppe didn’t have anything to do with the direct abuse of the child in the pictures, that person’s testimony can’t speak to Hoppe’s crimes - they don’t know anything about her or her crimes so can’t provide any evidence of her guilt.

The possession and distribution of those photos are itself a crime. No testimony from the victim needed. She is a criminal for having those photos and sending them over. That's how other pedos get caught and there are no exceptions for her. In that sense, her guilt is pretty out there.

Somewhat related, a few years ago I read a fascinating article about a young woman who had been the victim of a videotaped assault as a child. That video became quite popular and had been circulated over and over. She was able to extract financial retribution from multiple individuals who had been proven in court to have disseminated the video.

So if they could identify the victim in the videos EHH circulated, I believe the victim could get retribution - and probably give a victims impact statement if they are no longer a minor.

[Anonymous]

You guys are overthinking the undressing in public part. It doesn’t take especially significant wealth and connections to get that knocked down to community service for first time offenders. As long as she was engaged in activities with a consenting adult jail time seems really unlikely. I’m not sure what you’re expecting when you can avoid jail time for first time bar fights and theft.

[Anonymous]

finally...

1) her facebook profile is down

2) RTD published an article: https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/eleanor-hunton-hoppe-eppa-hunton-v/article_25408a7f-9492-5b07-bf7e-ac0918920160.html

[Anonymous]

“What we would suspect here is some history of sexual abuse in her own history,” said Fracher, the forensic psychologist. “That stuff goes on across all socioeconomic categories.”

This has been raised as likely by many in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:finally...

1) her facebook profile is down

2) RTD published an article: https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/eleanor-hunton-hoppe-eppa-hunton-v/article_25408a7f-9492-5b07-bf7e-ac0918920160.html

Paywall!

[Anonymous]

The following year, citing two cases of adultery, he filed for divorce. A letter filed in Albemarle Circuit Court from a counselor and parenting coach said that the couple’s two daughters were experiencing “anxiety about Mom’s precarious mental and physical health status.”

As has been raised in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Much of the divorce case file was sealed at the request of Eleanor Hoppe’s attorney, Laura Blair Butler. In a motion for a protective order, Butler wrote that some documents “are of an extremely personal nature and publication of such information would be embarrassing not only to defendant but also to plaintiff and the parties’ minor children.” Subsequently, Butler hired Eleanor Hoppe as a paralegal at the law firm of Tucker Griffin Barnes.

EHH being hired as a paralegal was also discussed upthread. I think it is new that she was hired by her divorce lawyer.

In the 2019 appeal for the public nudity in park arrest she was represented by her father who got her conviction overturned. She had been convicted when she failed to appear.

Posts here and elsewhere about her deterioration around that time seem to be supported by court docs referenced in the article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:finally...

1) her facebook profile is down

2) RTD published an article: https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/eleanor-hunton-hoppe-eppa-hunton-v/article_25408a7f-9492-5b07-bf7e-ac0918920160.html

Paywall!

]

It came up for me, try https://12ft.io/