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Ernesto Herrera was arrested and charged with coercion and enticement of a minor, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday, July 26. Authorities also charged Herrera with sexual exploitation of children in June 2021 in an unrelated case, authorities said.
Herrara reportedly first contacted the girl on the social media app Snapchat in June 2020, prosecutors said. He said he found a video of her performing a sex act on her dog and threatened to send it to her friends and family, MassLive said citing a report from authorities.
Herrera demanded more photos, videos and others that featured the dog, the report said. She told him she was just 16, but he pressed her anyway, the outlet reported. The girl even saved Herrara's number on her phone under the name "Blackmailer," the report said.
FBI agents discovered the teen sent him more than 1,000 photos and videos during their discussions over the social media app, the charging documents said. Agents determined Herrara owned the Snapchat account that pushed the girl to send them.
Herrara faces ten years to life in federal prison if convicted, prosecutors said.
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