Silver Spring Man Pleads Guilty In ‘Sextortion’ Case

He coerced more tan 100 girls into sending him pictures of them in explicit photos, videos.Greenbelt, Md (MD) A Silver Spring man pleaded guilty on Wednesday in US District Court in Greenbelt to two counts of producing child sexual abuse materials.The US Attorney’s Office for Maryland says Chase William Mulligan, 28, contacted 108 girls between the ages of five and 17 on social media, and persuaded them to send sexually explicit videos and photographs of themselves. When the victims no longer wanted to send graphic images, Mulligan threatened to post their images on line, or come to their homes.”Mulligan used manipulation, fear and intimidation to exploit over 100 young victims. Now we must ensure that we send a clear message to Mulligan, and others, that those who abuse the most vulnerable members of our communities will pay a steep price,” says US Attorney for Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, in a statement. “We’re committed to working with our law enforcement partners to relentlessly pursue, prosecute and bring to justice those who engage in these deplorable acts.”The US Attorney’s Office says between 2019 and 2023, Mulligan used numerous Snapchat, Discord, Roblox, Omegle and Instagram accounts to target these girls. The victims came from the United States, Canada, Denmark, Spain, the Philippines, Australia and the United Kingdom.Prosecutors say Mulligan directed minors to expose their genital areas and engage in sexual contact. Also, he coerced the girls to urinate on camera, inserts objects into their genitalia and participate in sexual acts with dogs.As part of his plea agreement, Mulligan is required to register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works or is a student.Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, August 27th. The US Attorney’s Office says Mulligan could receive a minimum of 15 years incarceration in a federal prison, or up to  a maximum of 60 years.”Mulligan is a depraved and dangerous predator. He used social media to target, viciously threaten and horribly abuse more than 100 minor victims—one as young as five years old,” says FBI Special Agent in Charge, William J. DelBagno. “His abhorrent behavior is not diminished by the fact that he was thousands of miles away and never met his victims; rather, it’s the opposite. Despite his distance, he presents a serious threat to any child he can access through the internet. The FBI works diligently every day to find and arrest predators like Mulligan so they can no longer prey on innocent children.”By Kevin McManus