Georgia man gets 40 years in prison for child-porn 'sextortion' of 150 girls

A 25-year-old Georgia man convicted of producing and distributing child pornography in a "sextortion" case was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Tuesday. Benjamin Jenkins coerced at least 150 girls, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In 2015, Jenkins began using different identities and social media profiles to contact girls between the ages of 13 and 16 in order to persuade them to send suggestive photos. He then "sextorted" the girls who who sent photos to him by threatening to publicly post their pictures online, or send the pictures to family and friends if they didn't send him more photos and videos of a sexual nature. He started a "countdown clock" for girls who did not respond the way he wanted.

Jenkins ordered girls to pose and show specific body parts, and told them "what objects to insert into their genitals and anus," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Jenkins also forced girls to send him videos of them drinking their own urine or licking toilets, and made "many of his victims" watch him masturbate, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In January, a federal jury convicted Jenkins on nine counts of producing child pornography and three counts of distributing child pornography.

Jenkins did send explicit photos to girls' parents and friends, and posted victims' nude photos and contact information online "with messages for men to contact the girls directly for more photos or for sex."

Jenkins, of Mableton, Georgia, was sentenced to 40 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and he is required to register as a sex offender upon release.