24-Year-Old Auburn Man Pleads Guilty to Internet Extortion, Enticement, and Attempted Production of Child Pornography

BIRMINGHAM, AL—JONATHAN WRYN VANCE, 24, of Auburn, Alabama, plead guilty to thirty-four criminal counts involving interstate extortion, interstate transportation in aid of extortion, attempted production of child pornography, and attempted enticement.  The guilty plea is announced today by Alice H. Martin, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Alabama, Leura G. Canary, U.S. Attorney,  Middle District of Alabama, and Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the Indictments and Plea Agreements, beginning in or about January, 2006, until approximately  June, 2008, VANCE, repeatedly used computers to transmit threatening communications to more than 50 minor females and young women located in Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Missouri.

VANCE transmitted these threatening communications with the intent to extort  two principal things of value from the victim addressees: first, their confidential sign-on information for various interactive computer services, such as Facebook, MySpace.com, Hotmail.com, and Yahoo.com; and second, digital still images or webcam video of the victims in various states of undress, exposing themselves and engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

“I encourage parents to talk with their children about internet dangers and to explain how predators can work their way into your life through social networking web sites, such as MySpace and Facebook,” stated United States Attorney Alice H. Martin. “Any suspicious activity involving a possible internet predator should immediately be reported to the FBI or your local police department. All should recognize it isn’t a matter of ‘if’ it will happen it is ‘when,’ so youth and adults need to be prepared to identify predators.”

In his threatening communications, VANCE engaged in a pattern of extortion in which he would at first pretend to be a friend, acquaintance, or secret admirer of the victims.  Once he had gained some measure of trust from the victims, VANCE would ask them for some personal information by asking a series of personal questions.  Once he had acquired enough personal information, VANCE would demand that the victims  provide him with their confidential sign-on information and passwords.  He would also inform the victims that if they did not comply with his demands, he would injure their reputations by transmitting the intimate and embarrassing personal information about them to other people, including their peers, church members, and employers.

“Predators exploit children in many different ways,” stated Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation.  “The FBI will continue to work diligently with U.S. Attorneys and local police and sheriff’s departments to hold those who prey on the most vulnerable, responsible for their actions.”

VANCE faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years imprisonment, and up to 30 years imprisonment for Attempted Production of Child Pornography; a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment, up to a maximum of  life imprisonment for Attempted Enticement; up to 5 years in prison for Fraud and a maximum of 2 years for Interstate transportation and Interstate communications.  However, pursuant to the plea agreement, the government and the defense will recommend that United States District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentence VANCE to 15 years imprisonment to be followed by supervised release for the remainder of VANCE’s natural life.  The government will also request that VANCE be ordered to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his natural life.

This matter was investigated by the Tuscaloosa Police Department, the Hoover Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. United States Attorneys offices for the Northern District of Georgia, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Eastern District of Missouri, and the Middle District of Alabama cooperated with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama in resolving the case.  Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Fortune is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and our continuing efforts to target individuals who possess and distribute child pornography. In February 2006, former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about the national Project Safe Childhood initiative, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.