Jacksonville, Florida – In a shocking case of child exploitation, Lucas Michael Chansler, a 31-year-old St. Johns County resident, has been sentenced to 105 years in federal prison for engaging in an extortion scheme to produce child pornography.
On August 13, 2014, Chansler pleaded guilty to nine counts of producing child pornography. According to court documents, from 2007 to January 2010, Chansler transmitted threatening communications to hundreds of girls over the Internet, extorting photographs and webcam videos showing the victims exposing themselves and engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Chansler targeted underage girls, ranging in age from 13 to 18, using social networking sites, stating that adult women were ‘too smart’ to fall for his scheme. Forensic analyses of Chansler’s computer media revealed hundreds of folders labeled with the name of each child victim, containing personal information, chat logs, and videos or digital photos.
Chansler targeted 350 child victims in 26 different states, three Canadian provinces, and the United Kingdom, with 106 victims positively identified. This case is the largest ‘sextortion’ case prosecuted to date in the United States, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Florida Attorney General’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and numerous other agencies working in Internet Crimes Against Children task forces across the United States and Canada.
Chansler’s sentence is a testament to the dedication of law enforcement agencies in protecting vulnerable victims, such as children, from exploitation.
Defendant: Lucas Michael Chansler
Criminal charges: Producing child pornography
City and state: Jacksonville, Florida
Exact date: August 13, 2014
Sentence: 105 years in federal prison
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- Joshua Black, Production and Transportation of Child Pornography, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Joseph Michael Diaz, Producing Child Pornography, Florida 2014 · Florida
- Frank Earle Noyes III, Child Pornography Production and Enticement, Florida 2016 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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