DETROIT, Mich. – Joshua Depriest, 32, of Hartford, Connecticut, was sentenced to 120 months in prison on child exploitation charges.
On October 10, 2018, Depriest communicated through Facebook Messenger with a 7-year-old boy and repeatedly asked the minor victim to send sexually explicit photos of himself.
Depriest admitted to soliciting explicit videos and photos of the minor victim, as well as soliciting and obtaining explicit videos and photos from 20 to 30 other boys, aged 8 to 9 years old.
Depriest also distributed child pornography to his trading partners on the internet.
‘This defendant is a dangerous sexual predator whose exploitation of boys as young as 7 years old using social media platforms like Facebook Messenger is particularly despicable.’
‘As our children spend increasingly more time online, they are increasingly vulnerable to predators who lurk in the supposed anonymity of the Internet.’
The case was investigated by agents of the Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Taylor Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisandra Fernandez-Silber prosecuted the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Patrick Roy Wandahsega, Child Sex Abuse, Michigan 2024 · Michigan
- Patrick Roy Wandahsega, Child Sex Abuse, Michigan 2024 · New York
- Michael Philip Dowd, Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Michigan 2024 · Illinois
- Emilio Moran, Enticing and Sexually Abusing a Minor, North Carolina 2020 · North Carolina
- David Tatum, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, North Carolina 2023 · Missouri
Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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