MD Man Convicted Of 'Sextorting' Dozens Of Minors Across The Globe

GREENBELT, MD — A Silver Spring man pleaded guilty this week to charges connected to a scheme in which he met young girls through social media and internet chat rooms and eventually “sextorted” them.

Chase William Mulligan, 28, was convicted in federal court of two counts of producing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Mulligan coerced at least 108 girls, ranging from ages 5 to 17, to send him sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves. When the girls told him they no longer wanted to send him the images, Mulligan threatened to post them online or come to their house.

"Mulligan used manipulation, fear and intimidation to exploit over 100 young victims," U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes said in a statement. "Now we must ensure that we send a clear message to Mulligan and others that those who abuse the most vulnerable members of our communities will pay a steep price."

According to the plea agreement, between at least 2019 and December 2023, Mulligan used numerous Snapchat, Discord, Roblox, Skype, Omegle and Instagram accounts to target young girls. He convinced minors living in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Spain, the Philippines, Australia and the United Kingdom to send him sexually explicit images.

Mulligan also instructed the victims to expose their genital areas and engage in sexual conduct. According to prosecutors, Mulligan coerced multiple girls to urinate on camera, insert objects into their genitalia and participate in sex acts with dogs.

When victims told Mulligan they no longer wanted to send him sexually explicit material, he threatened to post what he had online and instructed the victims to send more images depicting increasingly graphic sexual conduct.

As part of his plea agreement, Mulligan must register as a sex offender. He is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 27 and faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.

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