TC Island Predator Gets 20 Years

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ST. LOUIS – Alexander Gardiner, a 25-year-old citizen of both the US and Turks and Caicos, will spend the next two decades in federal prison after pleading guilty to coercing a 15-year-old Missouri boy into sending him sexually explicit images. Judge Joshua Divine sentenced Gardiner to 240 months Thursday, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

The scheme started on Snapchat. Gardiner preyed on the teen, who believed sending photos would end the harassment. It only escalated. Gardiner then bombarded the boy with threats via iMessage, Facebook and WhatsApp, demanding more explicit content or he’d expose the initial images to the victim’s family and friends.

But it didn’t stop there. Gardiner admitted possessing a stockpile of CSAM – videos of teenage boys he’d obtained through Snapchat. He even directed a 14-year-old, posing as a female, to create more abusive material in 2021. The predator wasn’t shy about distribution, posting CSAM on Twitter and sharing it within a Telegram group known for targeting minors.

Investigators tracked Gardiner’s online aliases, including usernames containing “noahmonn” and “jewelsbaits.” Anyone suspecting they were targeted by Gardiner is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or through their online portal at tips.fbi.gov. Resources for sextortion victims are available at cybertipline.org and through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).