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22-year-old Newburgh man blackmails children under 12 via Discord to obtain and distribute child sexual abuse images, leading to federal charges and arrest

Jan 1, 2024Newburgh, United States2 sources

Summary

A 22-year-old Newburgh man, Lonnie Youmans, was charged in a federal case involving the procurement of child sexual abuse images. Youmans allegedly used the online platform Discord to target victims as young as 12, beginning in January 2024. He is accused of blackmailing children to coerce them into sending sexually explicit photos, then threatening to leak those photos to obtain more images and recruit additional victims. Federal agents searched Youmans’ residence on April 29 and found hundreds of unique files of child sexual abuse images on his phone, including images of toddlers and prepubescent children. Youmans was charged with sexual exploitation of a child, receipt and distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. He was detained following his arrest and presented before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in federal court in White Plains.

Incident Details

Domain
Child Safety

Harms involving the exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of minors, including CSAM and grooming.

Harm Types
CSAM

Child sexual abuse material — the creation, distribution, or possession of such content.

Grooming

Online contact by adults seeking to build trust with minors for exploitation.

Sextortion
Mechanism
contact
Severity
Minor involved
Platforms
Recipient
Groupchildren and minors targeted by Lonnie Youmans via Discord
Dimensions
psychologicalreputationalautonomydiscriminatory