A Forsyth County man is facing federal child pornography charges after authorities say he produced and received nude photos of young girls — at least one of whom was 12 years old — and then extorted his victims into sending even more photos.
Edward Okenica, 23, of Cumming, was arrested Aug. 14 in connection with the case, which U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak called “heinous.”
Officials said the “sextortion” had been going on since at least November. Investigators determined Okenica contacted the girls using Snapchat and solicited nude photos and videos, Pak said in a statement Wednesday. Okenica allegedly had contact with dozens of girls across the country.
Pak said Okenica sometimes paid the underage girls for the photos and videos. He allegedly threatened to publicly expose at least three of the victims if they refused him.
“Okenica, for example, threatened to send nude photographs of a 12-year-old girl to all her Instagram friends if she did not comply with his demands,” Pak said.
Anyone with information about the case, or who may have been a victim, is urged to contact Homeland Security Investigations at (404) 346-2831 or the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office at (770) 781-2222.
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