Man Accused Of Sex Crimes Against Trussville Teen Sentenced

ORANGE CITY, FL — A Florida man who was accused of sexual exploitation of minors — including a Trussville teenager — was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in federal prison. Justin Richard Testani, 30, was sentenced in a Florida district court.

Testani, according to court documents, contacted multiple young girls (usually between the ages of 10 and 13) through Instagram and Snapchat posing as a young, teenage girl who modeled for a prominent teen lingerie brand. Under that guise, Testani convinced numerous victims to send him revealing photographs of themselves, records show.

After the victims sent such photographs, Testani often threatened to disseminate the photos or publicly humiliate the victims. At other times, Testani threatened to kidnap, rape, and/or kill the victims and their family members. He issued these threats to coerce victims into creating and sending him more images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

A report from the Florida court said Testani also used threats to coerce certain victims into giving him the passwords to their social media accounts. After gaining those passwords, Testani often took over the accounts and used those platforms to contact and exploit the victims’ friends. The investigation revealed that Testani reached out to hundreds of young girls across the United States between December 2017 and January 2019.

Testani pleaded guilty to all charges February 6.

"This case is a prime example of how a child can be victimized even in the safety of their own home," said Michael McPherson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division. "Parents, please talk to your children about the dangers of the internet and social media and make it clear to them they are not to blame if they fall victim to a predator. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners are dedicated to ensuring children are protected from online predators. The 60-year sentence in this case is proof of that commitment."

The Trussville Police Department assisted the FBI and Sanford Police Department with the investigation.