Cody Mann, Child Exploitation, NY 2014-2016

Cody Mann, a 23-year-old from Bloomingburg, New York, pleaded guilty today to orchestrating the sexual abuse of a 4-year-old child by directing the child’s parent to engage in illegal sexual acts and produce child pornography. The crime, which spanned from 2014 to 2016, was carried out using a cellphone to issue explicit instructions and receive illicit images.

According to court documents filed in the Southern District of New York, Mann used electronic communications to manipulate the parent into sexually abusing the toddler. He didn’t stop at coercion—he demanded visual proof, instructing the parent to record and transmit child pornography directly to his phone. The images were received and retained by Mann, who maintained contact and control over the abuse throughout the two-year period.

Mann entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge Nelson S. Román, admitting to one count of enticing a child to engage in illegal sexual activity. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of life behind bars. Though the statutory maximums are set by Congress, the final sentence will be handed down by the presiding judge.

Geoffrey S. Berman, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Brian Michael, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Newark, New Jersey, announced the plea. HSI agents led the investigation, tracking digital footprints and communications that exposed the depth of Mann’s criminal conduct.

“This was not just a crime of access—it was a crime of manipulation, predation, and cold calculation,” said a law enforcement source familiar with the case. “Mann exploited a position of influence over a vulnerable adult to victimize a child too young to understand what was being done to them.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gillian Grossman of the White Plains Division. No co-defendants have been named in the indictment. Mann remains in custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled for a later date. The Department of Justice emphasized its ongoing commitment to dismantling networks that facilitate child exploitation, digital or otherwise.