Ohio man accused of coercing minor and posting sexually explicit videos of her on TikTok
12/15/2021 11:34 am PST
NEW CANAAN, Conn. (TCD) -- A 36-year-old Ohio man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for reportedly posing as a teen girl on social media, pressuring a minor to send sexually explicit photos and media of herself, and posting the content on TikTok.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, the incident started in March 2020 when Brian Grinnell met a girl under the age of 12 on Omegle, an online chat website. New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski told the Middletown Press that Grinnell and the minor, who was in New Canaan, Conn., at the time, began communicating on Snapchat. Grinnell reportedly went by the username “alexisswimmer99.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Grinnell instructed the minor to take promiscuous photos and videos of herself and send them through Snapchat. The victim allegedly blocked Grinnell on social media after feeling threatened.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, after being blocked, Grinnell reached out to the victim’s friends on TikTok and said he would post a video of her naked on TikTok if she did not contact him. Grinnell then reportedly posted a sexually explicit video of the minor on TikTok as he said he would do.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said a friend of the minor begged Grinnell not to post more videos, and he stated, "I want a video of you begging me to not put them up. And you have to be topless in the video. If you don’t want any more of your friend stuff going out."
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, "After the friend told Grinnell that they would call the police, Grinnell responded, ‘How are they gonna find me?’"
Grinnell reportedly posted another piece of content of the minor victim on TikTok.
Grinnell allegedly sent more sexually explicit videos of the minor to undercover investigators, and according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he bragged about the number of videos he had and how easy it was to get them.
Grinnell was initially arrested on Sept. 23, 2020. His phone and other items were confiscated, and investigators found numerous images and videos of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography on April 19, 2021.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Grinnell was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and 15 years of supervised release. Grinnell was also ordered to pay a $10,000 special assessment.
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