A Groveton man used his position as the leader of a local cultural organization to film minors with hidden cameras, the Fairfax County Police Department says.
Victor “Xai” Souphom, 52, was arrested and charged May 29 with two counts of unlawful filming of a minor — felony charges that, together, carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Souphom, who oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Lao Heritage Foundation up until his arrest, was initially under investigation by authorities in Ohio after a video recording device was located in a rental home there.
According to police, Souphom had stayed in the home along with multiple minors. It was not publicly disclosed where within the house the video recording device was found.
The FCPD says it was alerted to the Ohio investigation on May 27 after receiving a referral from Child Protective Services.
“Fairfax County detectives developed reason to believe Victor Souphom had also been recording minors and others without their knowledge at his home while hosting events for the Lao Heritage Foundation,” the department said in a press release.
During a search of Souphom’s residence in Groveton, authorities located hidden cameras and digital media storage devices inside his residence and car. Police didn’t specify where in the house and car the cameras were located.
The foundation, which bills itself as an organization dedicated to “preserving and promoting Lao culture through the arts,” quickly severed ties with Souphom following his arrest, removing him from his positions as a co-director and board member.
“[W]e will not go into details of the allegations other than to say that he is alleged to have been involved of taking inappropriate images of certain children without their knowledge,” the Foundation’s board of directors said in a statement on May 30.
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Started in 2006, the Lao Heritage Foundation offers summer camps and music education to “a few hundred” students in the U.S. and in Luang Prabang, Laos, according to its website. It also organizes events in conjunction with key cultural festivals.
Souphom is currently housed in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. No information regarding his next court date was immediately available.
