Florida man accused of threatening 13-year-old Michigan girl after sending her sexual messages
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Florida man is accused of threatening to release messages exchanged with a 13-year-old Michigan girl after steering the conversation in a sexual direction.
READ: Feds warn of rising sextortion of minors
According to the Department of Justice, Brandon Huu Le, 21, of Maitland, Fla., used Snapchat to message the west Michigan girl on Aug. 10 and 11, 2019. He allegedly turned the conversation sexual, then took a screenshot of the sexual portion of the conversation.
Authorities said Le threatened to publicly post that conversation with the victim’s name if she did not provide him with sexually explicit photos and material, a tactic known as sextortion.
Le was charged this week with coercion and enticement of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, and receipt of child pornography.
"The use of the internet to threaten and manipulate children into producing sexually explicit images, and then threatening to share or publish those images to get the victims to produce more is predatory conduct that is very harmful to minor victims," said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "I commend the young victims who came forward to report Le’s behavior. Reporting to law enforcement is the brave, first step towards holding these predators accountable for their actions."
Authorities are now looking for other potential victims.
The DOJ said it is believed that Le used the name "Ty" on social media, and may have used these usernames to contact people:
- addityyt
- tyaddinude
- tyaddibaby
- tycroneaddi
- tygrazittenudef
Victims can contact the DOJ here or by contact Kathy Schuette, the victim coordinator, at 616-808-2034 or kathy.schuette@usdoj.gov.
The FBI also provided tips about how to protect yourself from sextortion:
- Be selective about what you share online. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you.
- Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
- Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that people are who they claim to be. Images can be altered or stolen. In some cases, predators have even taken over the social media accounts of their victims.
- Be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and this person asks you to start talking on a different platform.
- Be in the know. Any content you create online—whether it is a text message, photo, or video—can be made public. And nothing actually "disappears" online. Once you send something, you don’t have any control over where it goes next.
- Be willing to ask for help. If you are getting messages or requests online that don’t seem right, block the sender, report the behavior to the site administrator, or go to an adult. If you have been victimized online, tell someone.