A Catonsville man was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for the federal charges of sexual exploitation of children and cyberstalking.
Bilal Mohammad Siddiqui, age 23, of Catonsville, Maryland, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
"The facts of this case are disturbing and demonstrate how a sexual predator uses the Internet to victimize innocent children," said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. "Our community is safer now that Bilal Siddiqui will serve 24 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever. I hope all parents will discuss this case with their children so that they will think twice before communicating with a stranger through the Internet. Law enforcement will continue to work to identify and prosecute those who would harm our children."
"Bilal Siddiqui exploited and humiliated numerous children, some even as young as eight years old," said Jennifer C. Boone, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. "With nothing more than a computer and a few keystrokes, modern predators, like Siddiqui, have a limitless number of victims at their fingertips. We remain vigilant in continuing efforts to identify and hold accountable these offenders, but we also need the community to discuss the reality of online predators with children and report any suspected offenses to law enforcement."
According to his guilty plea, between April 2017 and August 2018, Siddiqui used the Internet-based communication services LiveMe, Snapchat, Kik, and FaceTime to coerce at least six minor females, ages 8 to 14, into creating and sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. Siddiqui also attempted to sexually extort one of those victims, a sixth-grader. When she refused to produce additional sexually explicit videos of herself, he sent images and videos that she had previously shared with him to her sixth-grade classmates and friends.
Prior to September 2017, Siddiqui created a fake account on LiveMe, a mobile application that allowed users to stream live video over the Internet and simultaneously chat with viewers, using an anonymous username and a photograph of a young boy as his profile picture, so that other users would not realize he was an adult male. One of the users misled by Siddiqui was Jane Doe 1, an 8-year-old girl.
On September 28, 2017, Jane Doe 1 was using LiveMe to broadcast a video of herself exercising in her pajamas. Siddiqui was among several LiveMe users watching the broadcast. When a number of those viewers asked Jane Doe 1 to show them her underwear, she refused, and eventually terminated the broadcast. Not long after, however, Jane Doe 1 began streaming a new LiveMe broadcast, and a number of viewers from her earlier broadcast—including Siddiqui—followed her to the new broadcast. During the new broadcast, Jane Doe 1 told her viewers that she was 13 years old. Again, they enticed her to undress and expose herself. While she initially refused their requests, Jane Doe 1 eventually did give in to the requests of Siddiqui and other viewers, undressing and exposing her genitals to the camera.
Toward the end of Jane Doe 1’s broadcast, Siddiqui persuaded her to end her live stream and to contact him privately. They communicated via FaceTime, and during these video chats, Jane Doe 1 again told Siddiqui that she was 13 years old. He nonetheless instructed her to remove her shirt, pants, and underwear, then instructed Jane Doe 1 to use a marker to write his first name on her skin next to her genitalia. He also instructed her to send him sexually explicit pictures of herself via text message. She complied with his instruction and sent Siddiqui at least four images of herself.
Related Federal Cases
- Tammy Dickinson, Child Sexual Exploitation, MO, 2023 · Nevada
- Marcus Bell, Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, Maryland 2023 · Maryland
- Ex-Con Peddled AR-15 Parts, Maryland, 2023 · Maryland
- Ajibola Erogbogbo, Robbery, Abduction, and Sexual Assault, Greenbel… · District of Columbia
- Ronald Seabridge, Sr. Sickened Children, Beaumont TX, 2014 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
