MELVILLE, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — Prosecutors say a Long Island man used social media to solicit photos of young girls’ feet and attempted to pay for explicit photos and videos.
According to Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini, 27-year-old Bradley Garyn “used social media as a hunting ground and lured these young girls into his scheme, using cash payments in exchange for his twisted, ever-increasing demands.”
Prosecutors say the 27-year-old established contact with the minors using Snapchat under a variety of usernames, which included “ipay4feetpics’ and “paying4feetpics.”
Garyn allegedly offered the girls $10 in exchange for photos of their feet and paid them using apps, such as CashApp, or Amazon gift certificates.
Prosecutors say the 27-year-old would then attempt to coerce the minors into sending “increasingly explicit photographs and videos in exchange for higher amounts of money, up to $500.”
In at least one instance, authorities say he threatened to make one girl’s images public if she did not send him explicit photos and videos of herself.
Garyn was arrested in early December and prosecutors say they discovered his Amazon history with included 900 gift codes that had been sent to over 200 difference recipients, according to Sini’s office.
“While his scheme has effectively been shut down by this investigation, we know there are many others out there just like him who are using social media to prey upon vulnerable, unsuspecting young victims,” Sini said in a statement.
He is urging parents to monitor their children’s cell phone use and talk to them about the dangers of interacting with strangers on the internet.
Garyn, 27, is charged with four counts of use of a child in a sexual performance, four counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child, four counts of disseminating indecent material to minors, three counts of coercion, possessing a sexual performance by a child, criminal solicitation and five counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
He faces between 10 and 20 years in prison if convicted on the top counts, prosecutors said.
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