Delco Man Used Xbox, Playstation Games To Prey On Boys: Feds

UPPER DARBY, PA — A Delaware County man is facing more than two dozen child pornography charges after authorities say he preyed on young boys he met while playing video games online.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said Geoffrey Hines, 34, of Upper Darby, PA, was arrested and charged with 29 counts of child pornography offenses. The defendant made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon in front of United States Magistrate Court Judge Richard Lloret, who ordered him detained pending trial.

Hines is accused of enticing minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, manufacturing and attempting to manufacture child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

If convicted, Hines faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.

According to court documents, for at least five years, Hines preyed on young boys via video games such as "Fortnite" and "Minecraft" on Xbox and PlayStation gaming systems. Authorities said Hines communicated with the boys for days at a time and ultimately convinced them to live-stream sexually explicit images of themselves.

Hines is alleged to have disguised his true identity so the victims were unaware the person they were communicating with was actually an adult man in his 30s who was secretly recording them as they exposed themselves.

Authorities said in cases when a victim was reluctant to remove his clothes, Hines allegedly made donations to the child’s gaming account or sent the child a code to redeem a gift card if the child complied with his demands.

Dozens of Hines's victims ranged from 8 to 13 years old, authorities said.

Hines, authorities said, was also in possession of more than 47,000 images and videos of child pornography.

A federal judge ordered Hines to be detained pending a trial.