A Virginia resident has been sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for using Facebook to sexually exploit minors in the McAllen area, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Michael Tienping Tang, 35, of Virginia, pleaded guilty May 22, 2019, to the crime. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Tang to serve 600 months in federal prison following a hearing that revealed the extent of his crimes.
Tang used multiple Facebook accounts to target and coerce over 50 minors into engaging in sexually explicit acts, often demanding bestiality and threatening to disseminate their images and videos if they did not comply. The victims, who were often friends and family of the initial victims, were left feeling deep fear and shame, and many delayed reporting the conduct.
However, two minor victims ultimately came forward and exposed Tang’s crimes, providing crucial evidence against him. The court took into account Tang’s prior sex convictions and his use of social media to stalk and exploit his victims.
“Tang, a child predator, weaponized Facebook to serve his sick and depraved desires,” said Hamdani. “He used the common social media app to target, exploit and extort our most precious and vulnerable asset, our children. Today’s sentence shrinks Tang’s social circle shaped by the vastness of an online world to the restrictive confines of a federal penitentiary.”
The investigation, which began in May 2017, revealed Tang’s use of Facebook to coerce and entice minor children to produce child pornography. A federal search warrant of Tang’s Facebook account revealed over 50 potential minor victims who had sent and/or received child pornography.
Tang was previously convicted in 2012 of two separate child exploitation offenses, including attempted indecent liberties with a child and two counts of possession of child pornography in Virginia. He will serve the remainder of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which he will be required to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet.
“The abuse and exploitation of children is deeply cruel and violates the trust and safety of the victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig S. Larrabee, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “It generates trauma that may not heal. We hope today’s sentence provides some measure of justice to those he harmed.”
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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