A man in Washington state who posed as a teenager online and blackmailed girls of 12 to 16 years across the country to get photos and videos sent sexually explicit, he was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison , federal authorities said.
The man, Joshua Henry Punt, of 39 years, of Ridgefield, Washington, pleaded guilty in April to using the messaging apps Kik and Snapchat to connect with girls.
Punt pressured them to send him sexually explicit images of themselves and then use that material to demand more content under threat of releasing the images in their possession, the Justice Department said in a statement .
Eight victims were identified , aged between 12 and the 16 years, in the states of Arkansas, California, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia , according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
” This accused predator infiltrated our homes, used electronic access and social media to deceive, pressure, and sexually exploit girls across the country, “said Tessa M. Gorman, Acting US Attorney, in a statement.
“We warn our children about the ‘dangerous stranger’ they might find on the street; we must be equally vigilant to those lurking online. ”
Colin Fieman, Punt’s attorney, called the case“ a tragic situation. ”
“Joshua was a victim of extreme child abuse,” Fieman, a federal public defender, said in an interview Monday night.
“He’s schizophrenic. He has never had any mental health support. So there were many extenuating and complicated circumstances with the case that the judge took into account today. ”
Investigators identified Punt as the administrator of a child pornography distribution group on Kik, where he demanded that new members share content and banned those who did not, according to the statement, adding that an undercover employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation found a cache of child pornography after following links posted by Punt.
According to federal authorities, Punt pleaded guilty in April to producing child pornography, inciting minors , distribution of child pornography and advertising of child pornography.
You will be asked to register as a sex offender after completing your prison sentence.
Punt was arrested by local authorities in May 2019 and federal defendant authorities said in November of that year.
According to a federal complaint from November of 2019, a 15 year old girl who researchers identified as the first victim said she had connected on Kik with someone who claimed to be 17 years.
The person, who according to the researchers was The accused demanded three days later that the girl send him explicit material.
When she did, he asked for more and threatened to distribute the images and videos of her in his possession throughout his hometown if she did not comply.
Punt, according to the complaint, sent screenshots to the girl from an apparent Kik group conversation, in which she shared her images, along with group members’ reactions.
In response, according to the complaint, the girl created and posted more sexually explicit content of herself “to prevent him from doing public performances. ”
As Punt did not stop harassing the girl, he continued to threaten her and Demanding more material, she and her parents contacted the New York State Police in December 2018 and the FBI began investigating.
At the sentencing hearing on Monday, US District Court Judge Benjamin H. Settle said that the damage inflicted by Punt would extend for decades.
He also addressed Punt directly: “You could see the pain in those girls, and you kept doing it, you tortured eight beautiful and innocent girls.”
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