WASHINGTON — A Woodbridge, Virginia, man pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of production of child pornography after admitting he communicated online with a 16-year-old from Colorado and convincing them to take and send him sexually explicit images.

David Edward De Vere, 53, a former specialist at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, also traveled from Virginia to Colorado to try to engage in sexual activity with the minor, but was unable to make contact with the minor, prosecutors said in a statement.

De Vere persuaded the minor to take and send him images of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, Department of Justice officials said.

De Vere is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2019.