Man Who 'Sextorted' Child Gets 10-Year Prison Sentence

ATLANTA, GA -- A metro Atlanta man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for forcing a minor child to produce pornographic photos of herself and send those images to him over the internet, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.

Gerardo Perez Uribe, 32, of Rex, pleaded guilty on Aug. 24 to the charges. Uribe, who was born in Mexico but living in the United States as a permanent resident, will be deported back to his country of birth after he completes his prison sentence, said said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak.

“‘Sextortion’ is a growing problem on social media sites,” he added. “Our office along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners encourage parents to help us target those who seek to prey on children by watching what your children are doing on the Internet, and who they are communicating with. Most children do not understand the dangers that may lurk on the Internet, and can easily fall victim to predators like Uribe.”

According to prosecutors, Uribe met the 12-year-old girl on Facebook in the summer of 2014. He first told the girl he was 13, but later said he was 25 years old. He asked the girl to send nude photos of herself and she did. After he received those images in August 2014, he "took over the girl's Facebook account, changed her password and locked her out of her account."

"He then threatened to post the girl’s nude images on her Facebook page if she refused to send him more nude photos of herself," Pak's office added. "The victim believed Perez Uribe’s threat and sent him four photographs of herself that met the federal definition of child pornography."

The girls parents discovered the images and reported the crime to the sheriff's office in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Those detectives turned over the investigation to the FBI once they learned Uribe was in Georgia.

“Social media sites are a convenient way for young children to network with their friends and family, but unfortunately, they also make children easy targets for online predators like Uribe,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office. “Our Crimes Against Children unit is dedicated to weeding out sexual predators who troll the internet for unsuspecting children. They can’t do it alone and that’s why it is so important for parents to educate their children and monitor their activities on social media sites.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul R. Jones and Mary Webb prosecuted the case.

Image via Shutterstock