A Virginia man was sentenced Thursday to 50 years in prison for the sexual exploitation, or "sextortion," of children through the messaging apps Snapchat and Kik.
Joseph Isaiah Woodson Jr., 30, of Ashburn was convicted in the Southern District of Florida on three counts of production of child pornography and one count each of distribution, extortion and conspiracy.
“Joseph Isaiah Woodson Jr. is a menace who preyed on the most vulnerable among us, children,” FBI Miami Special-Agent-in-Charge George L. Piro said. “Using social media, Woodson would befriend, then coerce numerous minor female victims to send him sexually explicit videos and images.”
Evidence shows Woodson extorted underage girls around the country to send him nude photos and videos through the app Kik, authorities said. Woodson pretended to be his victims to steal their Snapchat passwords. He then took over the victims’ accounts and demanded the girls send him sexually explicit content.
“Child predators beware — anyone who uses social media and the internet to target and extort children through sexual exploitation ('sextortion') and pornographic offenses risks spending the rest of their lives in prison,” said U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan, the prosecutor in Woodson’s case.
