CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — A judge sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for coercing a 12-year-old Cabarrus County girl to produce child pornography and send it to him over the internet.
Gerardo Perez Uribe, 32, met the on Facebook in 2014 and he told her he was 13 years old but then later claimed to be 25, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said he asked her to send nude pictures of herself, and she did. They said after receiving the pictures, Perez Uribe took over the girl’s Facebook account, changed her password and locked her out of the account.
[LINK: Project Safe Childhood]
Perez Uribe threatened to post the girl’s nude pictures on her Facebook if she refused to send him more pictures, prosecutors said.
The girl’s parents discovered the crime and reported the incident to the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI took over and found Perez Uribe in Georgia.
"'Sextortion' is a growing problem on social media sites," said U. S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "Our office along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners encourage parents to help us target those who seek to prey on children by watching what your children are doing on the Internet, and who they are communicating with. Most children do not understand the dangers that may lurk on the Internet, and can easily fall victim to predators like Uribe."
Perez Uribe was born in Mexico but was living in the United States as a permanent resident. Authorities said he will be deported to Mexico after he completes his prison sentence.
Cox Media Group
