A former Marine was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his conviction on five counts of production of child sexual abuse material, four counts of online exploitation of a minor, one count of possession of CSAM, and two counts of extortion. Anthony Fritzinger, 25, was convicted at trial on September 12, 2024.
Fritzinger, of Middletown, New Jersey, preyed on vulnerable children, manipulating and threatening them to produce explicit content for his own gratification, said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. The case should serve as a reminder that the proliferation of social media has expanded the manner in which young people can be targeted by individuals like Fritzinger.
An investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) discovered that Fritzinger had been serially stalking, soliciting, and extorting minors to obtain sexual images and videos for years. He used teen "dating" websites like Yubo, Spotafriend, and mylol.com to identify and contact potential victims, sometimes posing as a teenage girl.
Fritzinger began online "relationships" with victims, including on Snapchat and Instagram, in which he encouraged children to send him sexually explicit images and videos. He taught his victims to engage in a dominant/submissive relationship in which he exerted total control over them and required them to perform sadistic, sexual punishments.
The NCIS recovered a vast quantity of disturbing evidence from Fritzinger’s cell phone, laptop, social media accounts, and Dropbox account. He had collected hundreds of screenshots of young girls’ social media profiles, and thousands of sexually explicit chats revealed his extensive efforts to entice minors to produce child pornography.
The victims, some as young as toddlers, were manipulated and coerced by Fritzinger to continue sending images. He then extorted many victims, threatening to expose their images to their friends and family if they did not send more.
Fritzinger was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II, after being convicted at trial on September 12, 2024. The case was investigated by the NCIS and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake D. Pugh and Erin Blondel.
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- Fritzinger Gets 40 Years for Sextortion & Child Abuse · North Carolina
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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