A California man allegedly targeted dozens of children on social media and other online apps in order to coerce them into producing sexually explicit videos for him.
Adrian Gutierrez, 22, of Ontario, California, pretended to be the age of his victims in the communications, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office press release from the Kansas District.
'While Mr. Gutierrez mostly targeted children between the ages of ten and twelve, his victims were as young as nine years old.'
He would then allegedly coerce them into making "visual depictions of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct" during live video calls with him.
Prosecutors said Gutierrez sent the communications to children between May 2023 and October 2024.
Twenty-one of the victims have been identified from across 18 states. Others were not able to identified, and some of them resided outside the U.S., according to the release.
Gutierrez pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor involving a child from Kanas.
"The lessons of ‘stranger danger’ also apply to the internet. While Mr. Gutierrez mostly targeted children between the ages of ten and twelve, his victims were as young as nine years old," U.S. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser said in a statement in the press release.
"We encourage parents to talk to their children about internet safety and explain to them that not everyone is who they say they are or the age they claim, particularly online," he added.
Gutierrez is scheduled to be sentenced in Jan. 2027.
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Special Agent Kiffa Shirley in the FBI’s Billings Resident Agency in Montana said children online are easy targets for predators.
"Young people don't seem to have an on-guard mentality when it comes to strangers contacting them through the internet," Shirley said. "And many teens feel less inhibited about sharing online."
"Parents need to know what their children are doing online and must stay engaged, ask difficult questions, and not fall into the trap of believing their child is 'just playing games' or 'just talking with their friends,'" said Justin Simmons, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, in a separate case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating the Gutierrez allegations.
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