Man coerced teens he met on Instagram to send him sexually explicit content, feds say

A man is going to prison after he was convicted of coercing two teens he met on Instagram into sending him sexually explicit content, Maine officials said.

In December 2021, a dad in Westbrook found that his 13-year-old daughter had been sending sexually explicit photos and videos to someone she met on Instagram, court documents said.

He called police, and their investigation revealed Juan Jose Torres had been coercing two teens into sending him “sexually explicit material,” according to a Dec. 4 news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

If either victim hesitated, Torres would tell them he was going to hurt himself or post the pictures online, officials said.

He was arrested in February 2023 and told officers he was “just having fun” and threatening the victims because he “liked the attention from them,” prosecutors said.

“Torres pretended to be something he wasn’t to befriend these young victims, then manipulated and exploited them into a situation they were too young to handle. The crime of sextortion is increasing alarmingly, and these cases so often end tragically with young victims feeling they have no way out,” U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee said in the release.

Torres’ lawyer was unavailable to comment when McClatchy News reached out Dec. 6.

Torres, 27, of Texas, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, officials said.

Westbrook is about a 10-mile drive west from Portland, Maine.

This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Man coerced teens he met on Instagram to send him sexually explicit content, feds say."