Tag:

Kik

CT Man Shared Child Porn Over Instant Messaging App: Feds CT Man Shared Child Porn Over Instant Messaging App: Feds
CT Man Shared Child Porn Over Instant Messaging App: Feds A New London County man was arrested this week after police said he sent someone child porn over an instant messaging app last year.  Joel Huntsman, who also goes by the names Jay Huntsman, Joel Feser, and Jay Blackburn, 34, of Preston, is charged with distribution of child pornography following a monthslong investigation, the US Attorney for Connecticut said.  The FBI began investigating Huntsman in June 2022 after someone sent a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone — later identified as the Huntsman — was sharing child pornography throu…
63-Year-Old Posed As CT Teen, Sent Sexual Messages To Undercover FBI Agent, Feds Say 63-Year-Old Posed As CT Teen, Sent Sexual Messages To Undercover FBI Agent, Feds Say
63-Year-Old Posed As CT Teen, Sent Sexual Messages To Undercover FBI Agent, Feds Say A man from Fairfield County faces prison time for child exploitation charges.  Bridgeport resident Michael Nastu, age 63, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Wednesday, Jan. 11 for posing as a young teen to an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and sending them sexually explicit messages, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.  In March 2021, Nastu would use the Kik social media app to start a conversation with the agent while pretending to be a 14-year-old girl from Connecticut.  Between March 31 and June 25, 2021, Nastu sen…
CT Man Admits To Attempting To Transfer Obscene Materials To Minor CT Man Admits To Attempting To Transfer Obscene Materials To Minor
CT Man Admits To Attempting To Transfer Obscene Materials To Minor A 63-year-old Fairfield County man admitted to sending sexual messages, pictures, and videos to an FBI agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. Michael Nastu, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Sept. 22, to one count of attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut. Nastu used the Kik social media application in March of 2021 to initiate a conversation with an FBI Online Covert Employee who was posing as a 14-year-old girl from Connecticut, the US Attorney's Office said. Between March 3…
Ex-Victim Advocate From Hartford County Sentenced For Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material Ex-Victim Advocate From Hartford County Sentenced For Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material
Ex-Victim Advocate From Hartford County Sentenced For Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material A Connecticut man who made his living supporting crime victims is heading to federal prison for further victimizing children who were sexually abused. Hartford County resident Robert Eccleston, age 58, of Canton, was sentenced to nine years behind bars Tuesday, Aug. 2 in federal court in Hartford for distributing images of child sex abuse. It followed his guilty plea in January 2022 to one count of distributing child pornography. Federal prosecutors said Eccleston, a Victim Services Advocate for the Hartford Superior Court, was arrested in December 2020 following an FBI investigation into …
CT Man Sentenced To 22 Years For Sexual Acts With A Child CT Man Sentenced To 22 Years For Sexual Acts With A Child
CT Man Sentenced To 22 Years For Sexual Acts With A Child A Fairfield County man who met a 14-year-old girl online and traveled to another state to bring her to his home has been sentenced to 22 years in prison. Wayne Marcell, age 36, of Danbury, was sentenced on Tuesday, July 12, to prison time, plus 10 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine, said Vanessa Roberts Avery, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut. According to court documents and statements made in court: In April 2021, a 14-year-old girl in Georgia met Robert Fyke, of Lubbock, Texas, on an online video/chat platform. Fyke and t…
Bristol Man Sentenced For Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor Bristol Man Sentenced For Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor
Bristol Man Sentenced For Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor A Connecticut man will spend more than a decade in prison after he was caught trying to pay to sexually abuse a child. Hartford County resident Robert Sellers, age 62, of Bristol, was sentenced in federal court in Hartford on Friday, May 20, to 13 years behind bars. It came three months after he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and one count of distribution of child pornography, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Connecticut. The FBI began targeting Sellers on the social media app Kik in November 2020 after getting tipped off that he was sh…
CT Man Sentenced For Sexually Exploiting Children CT Man Sentenced For Sexually Exploiting Children
CT Man Sentenced For Sexually Exploiting Children A Fairfield County man who used his influence on social media platforms to sexually exploit children before being busted by an undercover investigator posing as a teen girl has been sentenced, federal authorities announced. Edward Gaplin, age 40, of Stratford, has been sentenced to 216 months (18 years) in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to offenses tied to the sexual manipulation of minors. US Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said that Galpin was an administrator of a private Kik messaging app chat group that provided a forum for members to discuss th…
CT Man Charged With Child Porn Offenses CT Man Charged With Child Porn Offenses
CT Man Charged With Child Porn Offenses A Fairfield County man is accused of sending sexually explicit images of children using the instant messaging app Kik. Jake Flewellyn, age 24, of Norwalk, was hit with federal charges Thursday, May 12, accusing him of distributing child pornography, the US Attorney’s Office said. It came one day after he surrendered to police. Prosecutors said Flewellyn was busted in April 2022 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was tipped off that a Kik user was sending videos of child pornography through its service. That report came four months after Kik had deactivate…
CT Man Admits To Child Exploitation Offense CT Man Admits To Child Exploitation Offense
CT Man Admits To Child Exploitation Offense A Fairfield County man has pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child after meeting a 14-year-old online and driving to another state to pick her up and bring her to his home.  Wayne Marcell, age 36, of Danbury, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, April 5 in Bridgeport, said Leonard C Boyle, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut. According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2021, a 14-year-old girl in Georgia met Robert Fyke, of Lubbock, Texas, on an online video/chat platform. Fyke and the minor victim then used Kik and other social media p…
Avon Man Admits To Child Exploitation Offense Avon Man Admits To Child Exploitation Offense
Avon Man Admits To Child Exploitation Offense A Connecticut man will spend years behind bars after admitting to distributing child pornography, federal officials announced. Michael Ferro, age 36, formerly of Avon in Hartford County, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, March 1 in district court in New Haven to one count of distribution of child pornography following his arrest last year. Prosecutors said that on Aug. 18, 2021, Ferro used the Kik social media app to begin chatting in a group with an undercover FBI agent who posed as the father of a 12-year-old girl. When Ferro determined that the officer was purportedly engaging in sexual activi…
Bristol Man Admits To Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor Bristol Man Admits To Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor
Bristol Man Admits To Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor A Connecticut man faces 10 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to child exploitation offenses related to his attempt to engage in sex with a minor. Hartford County resident Robert Marlin Sellers, age 61, of Bristol, pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 14 after being caught in an FBI sting operation, said Leonard C Boyle, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut. According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2020, law enforcement officials received information that Sellers was sharing videos of child sex abuse on a website that focused on incest. In November 2020, an…
Former CT Resident Sentenced For Distributing Child Porn Former CT Resident Sentenced For Distributing Child Porn
Former CT Resident Sentenced For Distributing Child Porn A former Connecticut resident has been sentenced for distributing child pornography through a social media application. Jessica Pickering, age 28, was sentenced on Monday, Jan. 31, to 96 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, according to Leonard Boyle, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut. She pleaded guilty to the charge on May 5. Pickering, who was a resident of Waterbury in New Haven County, joined a Kik group geared toward people with a sexual interest in children in October of 2020, and corresponded with an FBI online covert employee who was …
CT Man Faces Child Porn Charge, Police Say CT Man Faces Child Porn Charge, Police Say
CT Man Faces Child Porn Charge, Police Say This story has been updated. A Fairfield County man has been arrested nearly a year-and-half after a search warrant of his home turned up child pornography on electronic devices. Thomas Finn, age 55, of Norwalk, was arrested on Monday, Jan. 24, in connection with the case that began in January of 2020 in Norwalk. In January of 2020, the Special Victims Unit was contacted by the US Department of Homeland Security regarding an intercept of suspected child pornography on the messaging application “Kik," said Lt. Terrence Blake of the Norwalk Police. Homeland Security agents advised Norw…
CNN Producer From CT Charged With Sexual Abusing Minors CNN Producer From CT Charged With Sexual Abusing Minors
CNN Producer From CT Charged With Sexual Abusing Minors A Connecticut man who was a producer at CNN headquarters in New York City has been charged with sexually abusing underage girls. The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced on Friday, Dec. 10 that Fairfield County resident John Griffin, 44, of Stamford, was arrested by the FBI after a federal grand jury in Vermont charged Griffin with three counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to attempt to entice minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity.  According to the indictment: From April to July of 2020, Griffin utilized the messaging applic…
CT Man Sentenced For Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor CT Man Sentenced For Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor
CT Man Sentenced For Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor A 39-year-old man will spend a decade behind bars after being sentenced for attempting to coerce a teen in Connecticut he sought to have sex with and impregnate, authorities announced. New London County resident William Meier, of Norwich, was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 19 to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a minor by using sexual media. Acting US Attorney Leonard C. Boyle said that in May 2020, Meier accessed a chatroom dedicated to teens on the Kik social messaging app and began chatting with an undercover …
Avon Man Charged With Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses Avon Man Charged With Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses
Avon Man Charged With Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses A Connecticut man has been charged by federal authorities with multiple child exploitation offenses. Hartford County resident Michael Ferro, age 35, of Avon, surrendered to law enforcement on Wednesday, Sept. 29, according to Leonard C Boyle, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut. As alleged in the complaint, on Wednesday, August 18, Ferro, using the Kik social media application, began chatting in a Kik group with an FBI covert agent who was posing as a father of a 12-year-old girl.  After Ferro determined that the fictitious father was engaged in sexual activity with his “…
CT Man Accused Of Engaging In Sex Acts With Child CT Man Accused Of Engaging In Sex Acts With Child
CT Man Accused Of Engaging In Sex Acts With Child A man from the area is facing multiple child exploitation charges in connection to an incident involving a 14-year-old girl who he transported across the country to his Fairfield County home. Danbury resident Wayne Marcell, age 35, has been accused of paying $2,000 to have the teenage victim transported from Lubbock, Texas, to Illinois, where he allegedly drove her back to his Fairfield County home and abused her. US Attorney Leonard Boyle said that in April 2021, a 14-year-old girl in Georgia met Robert Fyke, age 33, of Lubbock, on an online video/chat platform. Fyke and the teen then…
Bristol Man Accused Of Attempting To Sex Traffic Minor, Distributing Porn Bristol Man Accused Of Attempting To Sex Traffic Minor, Distributing Porn
Bristol Man Accused Of Attempting To Sex Traffic Minor, Distributing Porn A Connecticut man is facing charges for allegedly attempting to sex traffic a minor and distributing child and incest pornography on social media, federal prosecutors said. Bristol resident Robert Marlin Sellers, age 60, was arrested this week and charged in a federal criminal complaint with child exploitation offenses related to his attempt to engage in commercial sex with a minor, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced. Investigators launched an investigation into Sellers late in 2020 after receiving a tip that Sellers was sharing videos of child sex abuse on a website that is focused on inc…
Ex-Teacher From New Britain Who Posed As Teen Sentenced For Child Porn Ex-Teacher From New Britain Who Posed As Teen Sentenced For Child Porn
Ex-Teacher From New Britain Who Posed As Teen Sentenced For Child Porn An ex-teacher from Connecticut has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for soliciting, receiving, and distributing child pornography. Dylan Koerner, 29, of New Britain, formerly of West Hartford, was sentenced Monday, Jan. 4, said U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut John Durham. In addition to the 70 months in prison, Koerner was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to court documents and statements made in court, between July 2019 and October 2019, Koerner used a false identity and posed as a teenager on Kik, an internet mobile application, to solicit…