A Cherokee County man convicted of “sextortion” involving teenage girls was sentenced to 17 years, six months in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
Destin Whitmore, 23, of Canton, used a social media site and fake aliases to entice teens into providing him pornographic images, acting U.S. Attorney John Horn’s office said in an emailed statement.
“This case is a sad example of the dangers of the Internet for teens that aren’t careful,” Horn said. “This defendant victimized at least nine teenage girls by using their images to extort pornographic images, creating a vicious cycle of exploiting vulnerable victims.”
An Arizona girl alerted police in April 2012 after a man she met through social media, later identified as Whitmore, threatened to send sexually explicit photos of her to her family if she did not send him additional photos, according to investigators. Whitmore had online profiles under the names Ralph Jenkins and Lenny Carlington and allegedly used various websites to communicate with the teens.
In September, Whitmore pleaded guilty to five counts of extortion, three counts of distribution of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography. Upon his release from prison, Whitmore will remain on probation for the rest of his life, Horn's office said.
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