WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. (WTAE) – An 18-year-old is being held without bail on more than 300 charges involving sexual exploitation of his high school classmates.
Police in Peters Township, Pennsylvania, said the investigation began in December when law enforcement became aware that more than 20 boys, ages 14 to 17, were victims of a “large-scale criminal network” involving catfishing and sextortion.
Detectives uncovered that 18-year-old Zachariah Meyers used various social media platforms to lure teenage boys to connect with him.
Meyers is a senior at Peters Township High School.
“It’s not the predator who traveled from far away. It is the predator who was sitting next to them in class,” internet safety expert Alicia Kozak said.
The Peters Township School District released a statement saying, in part, “The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families remains our highest priority and we appreciate the efforts of the Peters Township police in this matter.”
An 18-year-old Pennsylvania high schooler is charged with exploiting minors.
“I’m just so glad that this was exposed when it was because it was only going to get so much worse,” Kozak suggested.
According to police, Meyers allegedly catfished some of the victims, posing as fictitious people on social media and using photos and videos of real individuals who weren’t involved.
Officials said Meyers allegedly went even further by directing one victim to record explicit videos, including one involving two adult men, and to film inside a gym locker room at Peters Township High School. The victim was then directed to send those videos to an online account.
“This is a truly violent sexual predator,” Kozak said. “You do not need to physically touch somebody to sexually violate them.”
The FBI said that in sexual extortion crimes, a suspect will often groom the victim, or multiple victims in this case, over a long period of time.
“This is not like an overnight thing. It’s something that continues months and months and months to build that trust,” assistant FBI special agent in charge Christopher Giordano said.
A search warrant was conducted at Meyers’ home Friday morning.
He is charged with 304 criminal counts. Charges include unlawful contact with a minor, sexual abuse, sexual extortion and sexual exploitation of children.
The FBI said sextortion involves threatening to distribute a victim’s sensitive material. The perpetrator might demand explicit videos, sexual favors or money.
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