A Mableton man allegedly forced terrified teenagers into engaging in sexual acts after luring them through the social media and threatening to harm their families.
In at least one incident, the man allegedly forced a teenager to engage in sexual activity with her sibling, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On Wednesday, Mr. Tremain Hutchinson was arraigned and held without bond, federal prosecutors said.
“Hutchinson is charged with exploiting social media to victimize children,” United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said. “His conduct is particularly disturbing because he threatened and coerced these terrified children into engaging in sexual acts.”
A federal grand jury indicted the 27-year-old on Dec. 18 on charges that he induced and coerced minors into producing child pornography, enticed and coerced minors into engaging in sexual activity, received and possessed child pornography, and transferred obscene material to minors, federal prosecutors said.
Federal and local officer began their investigation in February when a parent reported to DeKalb County police that she had discovered, on a communications device, images of her children engaging in sexual activity, according to court documents.
They later learned that one of the children had met an individual, “Mario,” on a social media website.
He allegedly enticed her into sending nude photographs of herself to him, and then threatened to post the photographs on the internet if she did not engage in other sexual activity on webcam including sexual activity with her sibling, prosecutors said.
Over the course of their investigation, investigators determined that “Mario,” whose web profile described him as a 16-year-old boy, had enticed and threatened numerous other teenage girls to send nude photographs of themselves to him, prosecutors said.
He would then threaten to post the photographs on Facebook and other social media sites, including their school websites, if the girls did not continue to send sexually graphic photographs and video recordings to him, prosecutors said.
“Mario” also threatened to harm the girls’ families, they said.
The investigation ultimately revealed that “Mario” was not a teenage boy, but Mr. Hutchinson.
He was charged with 10 counts of employing, using, persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography and attempting to do so; five counts of coercing and enticing minors to engage in sexual activity; two counts of transferring obscene materials to minors; receiving child pornography, and possessing child pornography, prosecutors said.
“This defendant stands accused of committing unspeakable acts against his juvenile victims through the use of threats and extortion,” said Mr. Brock D. Nicholson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta.
“The abhorrent behavior displayed in this case was brought to an end by a diligent investigation by HSI and the DeKalb Police Department. Along with our partners in and out of law enforcement, we are doing everything we can to stop the victimization of innocent children by predators.”
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