Man Poses as Famous Singers to Entice Minors Online: Feds

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging John Eastman, 48, of Waterbury, with one count of coercion and enticement of minors and one count of possession of child pornography, federal authorities announced in a statement.

The indictment alleges that between June and November 2012, Eastman engaged in video chats with minors over the Internet using his computer and online video chatting services such as Skype.

During these video chats, Eastman allegedly enticed the minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, which Eastman recorded and/or photographed and then saved on his computer.

In order to deceive and entice the minors, Eastman allegedly posed as famous singers and musicians that are popular to teenagers, federal authorities said in a prepared statement.

The indictment further alleges that Eastman viewed and downloaded over the Internet other images and videos of child pornography, the statement reads.

Eastman has been in state custody since May 2013 when he was arrested on related state charges.

If convicted of coercion and enticement of minors, Eastman faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. If convicted of possession of child pornography, he faces a mandatory term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.