A Virginia man was sentenced on Friday to 31 years in prison after engaging in a “years-long sextortion scheme” against preteen and teenage victims, according to the Justice Department.
Filippo Parlagreco, 36, pleaded guilty to production, distribution, and possession of child pornography last November.
In one instance, Parlagreco posed as a teenage girl on social media and persuaded a 14-year-old girl to send him sexually explicit pictures, according to court documents. After Parlagreco posted the photos online, he demanded that she send him more photos in order to have the originals removed, prosecutors added, and although the girl blocked the man, he continued to demand her to send more photos for three years.
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Upon identifying Parlagreco, further investigation by law enforcement revealed that he had victimized at least 13 other minors, some as young as 11 years old. Parlagreco also possessed hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material, and he traded such images with other abusers online, the Justice Department said.
“This case demonstrates the grave dangers that children face online, where predators can pretend to be anyone and use sophisticated tactics to exploit the most vulnerable among us,” acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement. “The defendant used an array of technology to target and manipulate children for his own perverse pleasure.”
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“The FBI and its local, state, and federal partners work tirelessly on a daily basis to investigate and bring to justice individuals engaged in the exploitation and sexual abuse of children,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “With this sentencing, we have removed a dangerous child predator from the community and sent a clear message that acts of sextortion against minors over the internet are taken seriously and will be investigated and brought to justice.”
Parlagreco was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to the victims.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Raj Parekh said the trauma endured by the victims will “painfully stay with them and their families forever,” but he expressed hoped the ruling will provide “some measure of justice for the victims.”
