60°
Brett Janes, 26, has been charged with sexually exploiting at least a dozen children he contacted through Discord and Snapchat, then threatening suicide if the boys stopped talking to him, federal authorities say.
The Arlington resident allegedly would advise the children that he worked for a US intelligence agency before making the threats and then enticing his underage victims to do his illicit bidding.
Janes’ alleged victims include a 13-year-old boy he met on a first-person shooting game, who he convinced to strip and masturbate over a live video call by threatening to kill himself and paying him over a cash app.
A second 12-year-old boy was instructed to create and send Janes child sexual abuse material over Discord through “flattery and repeated begging.”
Prosecutors say that he received the child porn from those two minors, as well as two others, and he attempted to meet up with a fifth possible victim. He also allegedly purchased child porn from Telegram.
Janes was indicted this week and charged with:
- Two counts of sexual exploitation of children and production of child sexual abuse material;
- Attempted coercion and enticement;
- Receipt of child pornography.
If convicted, Janes faces a mandatory term of at least 15 years in prison and a max of life behind bars.
Want breaking news in the DMV as it happens, or want to contribute? Join the DMV All Incidents Facebook group.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Fairfax and receive free news updates.
