SHOCKING SENTENCE! Nevada Man’s 65-year Prison Term for ‘SEXTORTION’ Operation and CHILD EXPLOITATION
A man from Sparks, Nevada, was sentenced to 65 years in jail on Friday after being convicted of a “sextortion” operation that took place between 2018 and 2021 on the social media platforms Omegle, Snapchat, TikTok, and Mega.
According to a news release from the US Department of Justice, James Patrick Burns, 55, “sextortion” several juveniles online. When authorities apprehended Burns, he was already a registered sex offender.
“During this period, Burns was the most prolific creator of illegal content on these forums,” according to the news release. “He abused more than 100 children, many of whom have yet to be identified.
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Law enforcement became aware of Burns’ actions because the mother of one of his victims spotted threats on the victim’s phone and reported them to the police.”
If Burns is freed from prison, he will have to serve a lifetime of supervised release.
On March 5, a federal jury convicted him of eight charges of sexual exploitation of a juvenile, eight counts of coercion and inducement of a minor, and one count of advertising, receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography.
Burns coerced youngsters into creating pornography. He was also required to pay $82,655.92 in restitution and $21,000 in assessments under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, made the announcement, as did U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada, Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans of the FBI Las Vegas Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Miller of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Las Vegas.
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The Northern Nevada Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the FBI and made up of detectives and investigators from the Sparks Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Attorney General’s Office, and HSI, investigated the case.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, the HSI Chicago Field Office, and local law enforcement agencies across the country provided significant help.