Virginia Man Sentenced To 50 Years For 'Sextortion' Of Teens

MIAMI, FL — A Virginia man was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for overseeing a Snapchat "sextortion" ring that targeted teenage girls, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Last September, Joseph Isaiah Woodson Jr., 30, was convicted in a federal trial in Miami of three counts of production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, one count of sending extortionate threats and one count of conspiracy.

More than seven girls between the ages of 12 and 15 testified during Woodson's trial in Miami last year. Most of the victims were from South Florida, but teens also were targeted in other areas of the country.

Along with 50 years in federal prison, U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez on Friday sentenced Woodson, of Ashburn, Virginia, to a lifetime of supervised release.

"Using social media, Woodson would befriend, then coerce numerous minor female victims to send him sexually explicit videos and images. His sentence of 50 years in prison should serve as a warning to others involved in sextortion," George L. Piro, special agent in charge in the FBI Miami office, said in a statement.

From October 2017 through September 2018, Woodson "coerced" numerous girls across the country to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct using the camera on their cellular telephones, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida.

Woodson gained access to the Snapchat accounts of the girls by pretending to be one of their friends on social media, according to prosecutors. Once given the passwords, according to the prosecutors, Woodson took over the girls' Snapchat accounts and forced them to photograph and videotape themselves performing sexually explicit acts to get back in.

Federal prosecutors in the case thanked several police departments for their help in the investigation of Woodson, including the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and the Fairfax City Police Department in Northern Virginia.