SACRAMENTO, CALIF.
A federal judge last week sentenced a 23-year-old man to 29 years in prison for using various online identities on Facebook to girls for “lascivious” and sexually explicit photographs, according to authorities.
Jordan James Kirby, 23, of Paradise, then used the images to extort his victims, officials said.
The incidents occurred between 2011 and 2013. The victims are between the ages of 10 and 15, officials stated.
Kirby stated that he was an agent for a modeling agency and offered thousands of dollars to girls for photographs of themselves in their underwear, bikinis or various states of undress, officials said.
As an inducement, officials stated Kirby told the girls that he had come into a large amount of money, and sent pictures of himself holding a large wad of cash, or a large amount of cash spread on his computer.
After receiving the desired photos, Kirby used the embarrassing pictures to extort or attempt to extort sex acts from victims, according to authorities.
On March 6, 2015, Kirby pleaded guilty to two counts of enticement of a minor, three counts of attempted production of child pornography, and one count of attempted enticement of a minor.
“Kirby took unlawful and inappropriate pictures of multiple children, using social media as a platform for his crimes, and then extorted an threatened children to obtain more photographs. His is conduct is reprehensible,” said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Monica M. Miller.
Adding, “Kirby committed his crimes by exploiting the anonymity and distance of Internet communications. This case highlights the need for family dialogue about the potential dangers of online interaction. Social media platforms present safety risks that are akin to any public space and all users should know the steps to take to report suspicious activity. In this case, prompt response from the victims’ parents enabled law enforcement to identify Kirby, ceasing his ability to continue to victimize others.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.