For a 26-year-old man from Middletown, New York, TikTok wasn’t an entertainment site. It was a hunting ground and a place to meet girls under the age of 18. Even though he knew the explicit texts and FaceTime calls he instigated with a 15-year-old were illegal, that didn’t stop him from contacting her frequently and engaging in sexual activity for months after contacting the minor on the app.
After this abuse was reported to authorities, they required digital proof to proceed with a legal case. Our Rescue’s donation of a digital forensics device to the Watertown, Connecticut Police Department made digital discovery possible. The equipment recovered hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos, more than 11,000 text messages, and over 300 FaceTime calls between the perpetrator and the minor. In the messages, the man instructed the girl to perform specific sex acts; berating and punishing her if she failed to accurately follow his instructions.
It was also discovered that the perpetrator asked the 15-year-old girl to recruit other minors to engage in sexual contact with him. We are grateful that police stopped him before the circle of abuse grew.
Thanks to the recovered digital evidence, the 26-year-old perpetrator was charged with production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, traveling to engage in sexual activity with a minor, and transfer of obscene material to a minor. The additional charge of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Our Rescue donates digital forensic devices to police departments across the U.S., allowing cases like this to be fully prosecuted. In this case, digital evidence also stopped additional abuse of other minors from happening.
Donate today to support essential equipment for law enforcement in the fight against child exploitation!