Gaithersburg Man Sentenced In Child Porn, Extortion Case

GAITHERSBURG, MD — A Gaithersburg man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography and extorting underage girls to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves.

Zhi Tian Lang, 24, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in September 2019 to receipt of child pornography and to extortion by threat to ruin the reputation of another, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Citing his guilty plea, prosecutors said Lang used an Internet messaging application under the name "Seth" to speak with 13- to 17-year-old girls across the United States. Those interactions, according to officials, lasted between at least January and October 2014.

Prosecutors said Lang would obtain pictures of the girls by flirting with them and going through their social media accounts. The pictures often depicted the victims in their underwear.

Lang then demanded that the girls send him nude photos, or else he'd "post the initial pictures on a public Internet account or send them directly to one or more of the victim's acquaintances," prosecutors said.

Prosecutors added that Lang threatened at least 11 underage girls to provide him with sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. At least eight of them complied.

Lang admitted to posting pictures of the victims online and sending at least one photo to another individual, officials said.

In addition to serving a 14-year sentence, Lang must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student. The Gaithersburg resident is also required to pay a special assessment of $5,200.

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• Gaithersburg Man Pleads Guilty To Child Porn, Extortion Charges