BENTON, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) --A 44- year-old will spend 75 years in prison for taking advantage of young girls on social media.
Michael Ferris, of Mill Shoals, Illinois was found guilty of conducting a sextortion scheme on Facebook with multiple victims ranging in ages from 11 to 17 years old, according to the Department of Justice.
As part of his scheme, Ferris created fake Facebook personas appearing to be teenage girls. He joined Facebook groups for teenagers or young survivors of sexual abuse. Ferris then sent unsolicited messages to teenage girls under the guise of being a peer looking to make a new friend.
If the girl responded, Ferris tried to convince them to send a nude photograph or answer personal questions about themselves. If his victims refused to comply or pleaded to stop, Ferris harassed and threatened them until they kept going.
“Michael Ferris intentionally sought out young girls with exploitable past trauma for his own callous pleasure, and his coercive crimes caused devastating and long-lasting suffering for his victims,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe.
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