Lonnie Youmans, Child Pornography Trafficking, New York 2025

Child Predator Arrested for Preying on Minors via Discord

Lonnie Youmans, a 22-year-old resident of Newburgh, New York, has been charged with a series of heinous crimes including sexual exploitation of a child, receipt and distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

According to the FBI, Youmans used the online messaging application Discord to prey on victims as young as 12 years old. He went by the Discord names ‘Zenheatsu’ and ‘Leyley,’ and would groom vulnerable minors, getting them to send him sexually explicit photos, and then threatening to leak those photos to coerce his victims into sending more images and recruiting additional victims.

Among his victims was a 15-year-old minor, identified as ‘Victim-1,’ from whom Youmans obtained dozens of sexually explicit photos, which he distributed to others, including other minors. Youmans also manipulated Victim-1 into producing sexually explicit images for him as purported compensation for Victim-1 causing another 13-year-old minor to stop talking to Youmans.

Federal agents searched Youmans’ residence on April 29, 2025, and found hundreds of unique files of child pornography on his phone, including multiple images of adults performing oral sex on toddlers and prepubescent children being penetrated by various objects. Youmans admitted that he knew the pornographic images he possessed were illegal.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Pennsylvania State Police, Town of Wallkill Police Department, and the Town of Newburgh Police Department in bringing Youmans to justice.

Youmans is charged with sexual exploitation of a child, which carries a 15-year mandatory minimum and a 30-year maximum sentence; receipt and distribution of child pornography, which carries a five-year mandatory minimum and 20-year maximum sentence, and possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

If convicted, Youmans faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Reyhan Watson in charge of the prosecution.

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