Dylan Matthew Deling, a 21-year-old registered sex offender from Fairmont, Minnesota, was sentenced to 420 months in federal prison for producing child pornography and running a relentless sextortion scheme targeting more than 40 minor girls. Deling, who also used the aliases “Jason Keens” and “Dylan Nash,” pleaded guilty on July 18, 2019, and was sentenced by Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.
Between October 2017 and August 2, 2018, Deling weaponized social media platforms—Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Kik, Skype, and text messages—to manipulate, threaten, and terrorize young girls he knew or believed to be between 11 and 17 years old. His tactics went beyond coercion; he dangled affection, then escalated to threats of violence, public exposure, and harm to family members when victims resisted.
According to court documents, Deling sent screenshots of victims’ home addresses, family contact details, and other personal data to prove he could find them. He claimed associates would kidnap, rape, or kill the girls if they didn’t comply. In at least one case, he obtained explicit images through a friend of the victim. He didn’t just threaten—he followed through, distributing nude images to victims’ friends and families to deepen their trauma.
“This defendant’s victimization went beyond sexual exploitation; his ultimate goal was to instill fear and humiliation,” said U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald. “This type of depraved criminal behavior will not be tolerated. It is my hope that today’s sentence represents justice and closure for the victims and their families.”
The FBI’s Minneapolis field office, led by Acting Special Agent in Charge Aubree M. Schwartz, called the sentence a reflection of their unwavering pursuit of predators. “No sentence can wipe away the scars and irreparable harm those heinous actions leave on child victims,” Schwartz said. “This should send a strong message to anyone considering exploiting our most vulnerable citizens.”
Deling was convicted on one count of production of child pornography and one count of interstate communication with intent to extort. In addition to his 35-year prison term, he will face 30 years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi and resulted from a coordinated investigation involving the FBI and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.
Related Federal Cases
- Minneapolis Man Gets 16 Years for Child Porn, Sexually Exploiting Minors · Minnesota
- Penn Hills Predator Gets 30 Years for Sextortion of 5 Minors · Minnesota
- Koenck Gets 30 Years for Exploiting a Child · Minnesota
- Danny Heinrich Gets 20 Years for Jacob Wetterling Murder, Child Porn · Minnesota
- Anton Alexander Martynenko Gets 38 Years for Child Porn Empire · Minnesota
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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