Northern District of Alabama Press Release


	UNITED STATES ATTORNEY ALICE H. MARTIN NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA
	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE			CONTACT: KAREN NARAMORE
	APRIL 16, 2009			PHONE: (205) 244-2001
	www.usdoj.gov/usao/aln			FAX: (205) 244-2171

BIRMINGHAM, AL - JONATHAN WRYN VANCE, 24, of Auburn, Alabama, was sentenced to 216 months (18 years) in federal prison by United States District Court Judge R. David Proctor in Birmingham today. Judge Proctor also ordered VANCE to be placed on supervised release for a term of life after serving his prison term, to pay restitution to the victims, and to register as a sex offender. VANCE was also ordered not to have any unsupervised contact with children. The sentence is announced today by Alice H. Martin, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Alabama, Leura G. Canary, U.S. Attorney, Middle District of Alabama, and Charles E. Regan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On January 15, 2009, VANCE plead guilty to thirty-four criminal counts involving interstate extortion, interstate transportation in aid of extortion, fraud in connection with identification information and authentication features, attempted production of child pornography, and attempted enticement.

According to the Indictments and Plea Agreements, beginning on or about January, 2006 until June, 2008, VANCE repeatedly transmitted threatening communications to more than 50 minor females and young women located in Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Missouri.VANCE transmitted these threatening communications with the intent to extort their confidential sign-on information for various services, such as Facebook.com, MySpace.com, Hotmail.com, and Yahoo.com, as well as digital still images or webcam video of the victims exposing themselves and engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

VANCE would at first pretend to be a friend, acquaintance, or secret admirer of the victims, and would only reveal his identity if the victims answered a series of intimate personal questions. Once VANCE had the intimate information, he made demands, that if not complied with, which threatened to ruin their reputations by transmitting the intimate information about them to their friends, church members and employers.

“I encourage parents to talk with their children about the dangers of online activity and be vigilant for sexual predators who may be attempting to target their children through social networking web sites”, stated United States Attorney Alice H. Martin. “Any suspicious activity involving a possible internet predator should immediately be reported to the FBI or your local police department.”

"I am very pleased with the result. This defendant preyed on unsuspecting young girls and women and shamefully deceived them into trusting him, stated Leura G. Canary, United States Attorney, Middle District of Alabama. “He exploited their trust to satisfy his desires. The sentence Mr. Vance received today sends a strong message to all who would seek to hurt the most vulnerable members of our communities that we will vigorously prosecute them and send them to federal prison for a long time."

"This investigation highlights the need for computer users to never provide your user name or password to anyone. By sharing this sensitive information you are exposing yourself to further victimization," stated Acting Special Agent in Charge, Charles E. Regan.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tuscaloosa Police Department, the Hoover Police Department, Montgomery Police Department, Huntsville Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, St. Louis County Police, Chesterfield Police Department, and the Manchester Police Department in Missouri, and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office and Upper Dublin Police Department in Pennsylvania, and various High School Resource officers. United States Attorneys offices for the Northern District of Georgia, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Eastern District of Missouri, and the Middle District of Alabama cooperated with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama in resolving the matter. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Fortune prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and our continuing efforts to target individuals who possess and distribute child pornography. In February 2006, former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about the national Project Safe Childhood initiative, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.