Chippewa County, Michigan – South Carolina man sentenced to 30 years in prison after persuading minor victim to send live video of himself engaging in sexual activity with brother rice field.
James Masterson, 35, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor in connection with the grooming and sexual exploitation of minors in Michigan. news release From the U.S. Department of Justice.
Masterson will serve 30 years in federal prison and then be released under 10 years of supervision, the release said.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Janet T. Neff said Masterson was one of the top two or three most aggravated sex offenders she has sentenced.
Masterson engaged in a multi-year process to groom his victim, eventually using social media to persuade her to send live video footage of a sexual act involving himself and his brother. He was arrested after traveling to Chippewa County in the Upper Peninsula to engage in sexual activity with a victim. When law enforcement seized his phone, they found a sexually explicit video of the victim with Masterson directing her operations.
“This horrific act of looting harms the most vulnerable members of our society and leaves irreparable damage in its wake,” said Mark Totten, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan. Those who seek to exploit should know that my office will judge them.”
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aimed at protecting children from exploitation and abuse. Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies work closely together to find, arrest, and prosecute individuals who exploit children.
Anyone with information or concerns regarding possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement. For more information about Project Safe Childhood in Western Michigan, including resources for children and parents, please visit: Justice.gov/usao-wdmi/project-safe-childhood.
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