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Long Island resident Brandon Kern, age 29, of Bayport, was arraigned on multiple charges in Central Islip federal court on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
An investigation found that between December 2020 and October 2021, he posed as a teenager on Snapchat in order to convince at least six underage girls to send him sexually explicit photos and videos.
Some of the victims were as young as 12 years old, according to the FBI.
When the girls attempted to block him, Kern allegedly threatened to humiliate them by sharing the images with their friends and families.
He was finally caught after traveling from Long Island to Ohio to meet an underage girl for sex, prosecutors said.
Kern reportedly threatened the girl when she got scared and refused to meet him.
Federal agents arrested him as he left a hotel room with condoms, rope, and lubricant.
A review of his online history showed he had contacted numerous other underage victims, prosecutors said.
“Kern thought he could use technology to outsmart and abuse young girls,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith.
“His alleged crimes were horrific and the FBI's Long Island Child Exploitation Task Force used every tool available to track him down and arrest him putting a stop to his heinous behavior.”
In court Wednesday, Kern was arraigned on five counts of sexual exploitation of minors and possession of child pornography.
The FBI said there are likely additional victims and asked anyone with information in the case to contact the agency on its website or call 212-384-1000.
Investigators identified several Snapchat usernames that Kern reportedly used to target minors, most of them beginning with the phrase “bsublime” followed by a number.
Another account had the username “punkgreen472.”
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