MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Alabama man was indicted Thursday on child porn and extortion charges after authorities say he posed as pop sensation Justin Bieber online and convinced young girls to send him inappropriate photos, federal prosecutors say.
Christopher Patrick Gunn, 31, of Montgomery is also accused of working a similar scam by posing as a new kid in town on social media sites such as Facebook.
The indictment alleges that Gunn used the two ruses to coerce young girls between the ages of 9 and 16 to send him sexually-explicit photos and videos.
Court documents state that Gunn would pose as a new kid in town on Facebook, and once he gained the young girls’ trust he would solicit embarrassing information about them. The indictment alleges he would then ask for explicit photographs and threaten to make available the embarrassing information if the girls refused.
Gunn would also allegedly pose as Bieber on online video chatting services and offer young girls free concert tickets if they agreed to send topless photos of themselves.
He allegedly perpetrated the subterfuge from 2009 until 2012. On March 20, 2012, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant on Gunn’s house. They seized a cell phone and a laptop computer containing images and videos of child pornography.
Gunn has been charged with two counts of producing child pornography, three counts of interstate extortion and three counts of using a computer or cellphone or illegal activity.
U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. said in a news release that Gunn had been charged previously with two counts of possession of child pornography.
His trial is scheduled for September 10. It was not immediately clear if Gunn has an attorney.
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