We’ve reported on disturbing cases about?the savagery of sextortion. But this has to be the worst sextortion case ever! This one is so bad it got the culprit 105 years in prison.
That culprit’s name is 31-year-old Lucas Michael Chansler from St. John’s, Florida, a suburb 25 miles south of Jacksonville, FL. Chansler pleaded guilty to nine counts of producing child pornography, but that’s only the beginning. ?Authorities representing the FBI have identified 109 victims. Most victims were underage teen girls. These victims span 26 US states, three Canadian provinces, and throughout the United Kingdom. Authorities believe there are 240 more victims out there. ?Chansler would seek out girls on social media sites. Eventually, he’d persuade girls to take inappropriate photos of themselves. Then, he’d threaten to blast the inappropriate photos online or even to their parents if they didn’t send him more explicit photos. Back in 2010, Chansler was indicted when one girl and her parents came forward. Here’s the real chilling part: Chansler himself confessed he targeted teenagers because he felt adults were too smart to fall for his scheme. Chansler used many aliases from VictorHugo to CaptainObvious. That’s one reason he was able to do so much damage.
The other is the reason this case is still fluid. There’s over 200 victims yet to be identified. Authorities believe, and I agree, it’s because of the shame this could put on themselves, their futures and their families. Thank God Chansler was caught. If not, he would have gone on and on and on. Parents, please keep an extremely close eye on what your children and/or teenagers are doing online, especially on social media. I urge adults to use caution and be very picky about who they let in their computer. If you don’t know that person, don’t accept that friend or follower request. If your?kid doesn’t know that alias, that alias shouldn’t be there! I’m not here to blame the victim. It’s a?shame?the internet has to be spoiled by a handful of sociopaths like Lucas Micheal Chansler. I hope authorities step up their game in the war against sextortion. Chansler will never experience another day of freedom, nor should he. What can we do to keep our families and friends safe?