A Garden Grove man was sentenced Friday to 14 years in federal prison after admitting to the online exploitation of at least a dozen underage girls across the country.
James Styner, 20, pleaded guilty in federal court in the District of Columbia to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography, and three counts of receipt of child pornography, according to federal prosecutors.
“No man will be allowed to exploit, harm and victimize children under my watch,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia said in a statement. “They will be hunted down, prosecuted and then face the full weight of justice. Whether you are behind a screen or behind closed doors — we will find you and convict you.”
According to court documents, beginning at the age of 17 and continuing until his arrest two years later, Styner engaged in an online campaign to manipulate and exploit vulnerable girls for his own sexual satisfaction. He participated in nearly 45 chat conversations over the online platform Discord in which he demanded sexually explicit material from victims, many of whom were girls ranging in age from 12 to 17, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Styner had sexual relationships with at least two underage girls and often sent explicit images of his own body parts to his minor victims and distributed self-produced child pornography to others.
As part of his plea agreement, Styner admitted to abusing a total of a dozen victims. He also admitted that he had engaged in similar conduct with other unidentified individuals.