AUSTIN, TX — A 21-year-old man is the state's first sextortion arrest after he allegedly threatened to publish nude images of a 14-year-old girl if she did not send more.
According to the Attorney General's Office, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline received a report of a 14-year-old girl being coerced to send nude images to 21-year-old Felipe Jesus Duron via a social media account.
The investigation revealed Duron requested and received nude images of the girl then threatened to make the images public if additional nude images were not sent. Duron also used this tactic to force the girl into online sex acts with other men while he recorded the activities.
Duron was arrested on October 15 by the Sextortion Unit, with assistance of the attorney general's Child Exploitation Unit and FBI San Antonio Child Exploitation Task Force.
The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas.
In a statement, Attorney General Ken Paxton commended the investigators who "bring criminals like this to justice."
“Dangerous predators can infiltrate any home through computers, tablets, or phones. Unfortunately, criminals lurking online often target our most vulnerable citizens and seek to exploit children,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I am grateful for the work of our Sextortion Unit and the dedicated law enforcement officials they work with to bring criminals like this to justice.”
The attorney general is urging parents and teachers to become aware of the risks children face on the Internet. If you suspect someone is producing or downloading child pornography, you can report it to NCMEC.
