Newburgh Man Used Discord To Lure Minors For Child Porn: Feds

NEWBURGH, NY — A local man is accused of using the instant online messaging platform Discord as a “hunting ground” to find and manipulate minors so he could get child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Lonnie Youmans, 22, was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexual exploitation of a child, receipt and distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

The victims were as young as age 12, according to federal prosecutors.

Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Youmans “used Discord as a hunting ground to find, manipulate, and sextort our most vulnerable in a horrific scheme to obtain child pornography.”

Christopher G. Raia, assistant director in charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said Youmans groomed young victims.

According to Raia, Youmans “devised a twisted scheme to obtain sexually explicit images of young children and extorted a minor to produce pornographic content with threats of blackmail.”

Prosecutors claim Youmans started using Discord around January 2024 for the scheme. Youmans used pseudonyms such as “Zenheatsu” and “Leyley,” and convinced minors to send him sexually explicit photos, prosecutors said.

The government claims he then threatened to leak those photos in order to coerce victims into sending more images. The minors would also have to recruit additional victims to avoid having their explicit photos shared with others, according to the government.

Federal agents raided Youmans’ residence on April 29. Investigators reported finding hundreds of unique files of child pornography on his phone, including multiple images of adults performing oral sex on toddlers, and prepubescent children being penetrated by various objects.

Youmans appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court, and he has been ordered detained, prosecutors said.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or report a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.