A Chicago man has been charged with coercing a 16-year-old girl into sending him explicit content by using a video he obtained of the minor committing acts of bestiality with a dog as blackmail.
Ernesto Herrera, 33, allegedly used Snapchat and text messages to cajole a Massachusetts teenage girl into sending videos and images of her committing disturbing sexual acts that prosecutors described as child pornography, according to a statement by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Back in 2021, Herrera was arrested and charged with a single count of sexual exploitation of children and another count of receipt of child porn, according to the DOJ. Herrera is now facing additional charges of coercion and enticement of a minor, and has remained in custody since the 2021 arrest, the DOJ said.
Chicago man charged with coercing Massachusetts minor in sexual conduct https://t.co/tUMbvSYM2B @DMAnews1 #sexualexploitation #childabuse #childporn #sexualpredators @FBIBoston
— Amy Phillips (@IteamWWLP) July 26, 2022
Contact between the two allegedly began in 2020, when Herrera is said to have sent the girl a message on Snapchat that included a video of her performing a sexual act on her dog, and then threatened to share the footage with her friends and family, according to MassLive. (RELATED: Lawmakers Aim To Stop Social Media From Pushing Sexual Content On Kids, But Some Worry Their Plans Might Not Work)
Herrera allegedly used the bestiality clip as blackmail, and demanded that the girl produce “new videos” of a similar sexual nature, the outlet reported.
The two reportedly exchanged an array of messages via text and social media. She was initially hesitant, and noted to Herrera that he was a stranger. The girl even reminded Herrera of her age, saying, “I’m 16,” according to MassLive.
But Herrera continued to dish out threats and demanded more explicit content from the minor. (RELATED: Left-Wing Activists Urge Big Tech To Censor Anti-Pedophile ‘Smear’)
The FBI said the teenager sent Herrera approximately one thousand videos and photos with several files featuring child pornography after confiscating Herrera’s phone and finding their conversations on Snapchat, according to the DOJ. (RELATED: Reality TV Star Handed A 12-Year Prison Sentence On Child Porn Charges)
#FBI special agents arrested Ernesto Herrera, of Chicago, IL, yesterday on child exploitation charges for allegedly threatening and manipulating a Massachusetts minor into making and sending videos and images of the victim engaged in sexual conduct. https://t.co/n90OcxYnDW
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) June 4, 2021
The girl saved Herrera’s contact on her phone as “blackmailer” followed by a number of emojis, according to MassLive.