‘KID-PORN MOM’ WOE
Ex wants full custody after FBI ‘abuse’ bust
A federal judge in Virginia has asked for full custody of his two young daughters after his ex-wife was charged with distribution of child pornography and attempted child sex trafficking of an 8-year-old girl.
Eleanor Hunton Hoppe (inset), 45, who comes from a prestigious law family in Richmond, was caught in an FBI sting last month after allegedly sending an undercover agent a 30-second video containing explicit child sexual abuse, along with messages about other sickening pedophile activities.
She was arrested after agreeing to meet the agent with his fictitious 8-year-old daughter at a hotel in Warrenton, Va., where she allegedly planned to abuse the girl.
Eleanor’s ex-husband, Joel Hoppe, a magistrate judge in the Western District of Virginia, has since filed for full custody of their daughters, ages 10 and 12, according to documents filed to the Albemarle Circuit Court on March 23.
The exes had previously agreed to joint custody following their divorce in 2021, which took place after Joel accused his then-wife of looking for sex with other men and women.
In his latest court 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.”
Representatives for Eleanor and Joel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Eleanor — whose family led the state’s second-largest law firm of Hunton Andrews Kurth — was taken into custody on March 16 after she began chatting with the undercover agent. Officials said Eleanor reached out to the agent about “taboo parenting,” directing him to an app that encrypts messages.
The messages, which appear to begin on Feb. 23, show Eleanor allegedly asked about how the agent was supposedly abusing his daughter.
Officials allege that Eleanor had shown interest in traveling to Washington to help the man abuse the fictitious child and agreed to meet him at a hotel on March 12.
“I can’t wait and then of course, putting her to bed and waking her up to do a few extra things will be so fun,” Eleanor Hoppe allegedly wrote the agent, also saying she had a pink “big girl robe” ready as she also sent the agent the child porn video.
After being arrested, Eleanor claimed that she was there to find and rescue the undercover agent’s daughter, according to court records.
Police, however, conducted a search of her car and found the pink silk robe, silk underwear and a pink child’s bag containing lubricant.
She was charged with distributing child porn, enticement of a minor and attempted transportation of a minor with attempt to engage in sexual activity.