Man Pleads Guilty to the Sextortion of at least 68 Children Via Social Media and Sex Trafficking at least Five of those Children

INDIANAPOLIS- Ryan Austin Lauless, 31, of, Colorado, has pleaded guilty to 21 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, 5 counts of Sex Trafficking of a Minor, 2 counts of Noticing and Advertising Child Sexual Abuse Material and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material.

According to court documents, between late 2019, and May 19, 2023, Ryan Lauless used social media applications such as Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, Yubo, Purp, and others, to coerce, sexually exploit and threaten at least 68 minor victims into producing thousands of images and videos of sexually explicit conduct. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 16 at the time of the offenses and lived in nearly every state in the United States and in at least five foreign countries.

Using the above social media applications, and others, Lauless misrepresented his identity, and falsely represented to minors that he was “Cason Fredrickson,” purporting to be a teenager from New York or other cities. In reality, Lauless was in his late 20’s, unemployed, and living in various hotels and motels in Texas and Colorado. To conceal his identity, Lauless accessed the public Instagram page of Individual A, and without Individual A’s knowledge or consent, saved their images and videos to falsely claim that he (Lauless) was Individual A, posing as “Cason Fredrickson.”

Lauless’ criminal tradecraft included misrepresenting his age, identity, background, and likeness, to groom minor children, and provide a false sense of safety in their online communications.  Lauless’ tradecraft further included the use of voice modulators and third-party image and video applications to edit images and videos to make them appear as though they were taken live through social medial applications, such as Snapchat.  

Lauless also feigned interest in his victims, told his victims that they were attractive, and pretended as though they were in an online romantic relationship.  He purchased items for many of the minor victims over Amazon, including fishnet stockings, sexual devices, and unique t-shirts that he instructed minor victims to wear when producing sexually explicit images and videos, and shipped those items either directly to victims, or to a designated Amazon locker for pickup.

As part of Lauless’ efforts to avoid detection and continue the sexual exploitation of minor victims for a prolonged period, he threatened many of the minor victims with dissemination of their images and videos if they failed to comply with his demands, or if they intended to seek help from parents or law enforcement. At least one minor victim told Lauless that she was contemplating suicide.

Further, Lauless sex trafficked at least five different minor victims by forcing them to them engage in oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse with adult males, and producing numerous videos of the commercial sex acts. Some victims were forced to engage in sadomasochistic abuse at Lauless’ direction.

Once Lauless received images and videos from his victims, he advertised the sexually explicit material he enticed them to produce for sale on social media applications such as Discord, Instagram, Telegram, and MEGA. He engaged in at least 141 transactions in which he sold the child sex abuse material for payment via Venmo, PayPal, Bitcoin, and CashApp. Lauless admits that his collection of child pornography included images and videos depicting prepubescent children in sexually explicit conduct, as well as children engaged in bestiality and sadomasochistic behavior.

“Thanks to the courage of these victims and the dedication of our law enforcement partners, we are one step closer to justice. Exploiting children is one of the most reprehensible crimes, often going unnoticed by those closest to the victims,” said First Assistant United States Attorney John E. Childress. “In today’s digital age, predators use sophisticated tactics to target our kids and manipulate them into feeling trapped and ashamed. I urge parents and caregivers to have open, honest conversations with children in their lives to help stop this abuse before it starts.”

"Protecting children from online predators is a responsibility we all share,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy O’Malley. “Crimes that target and exploit children are among the most egregious we investigate, and they too often remain unseen until it is too late. We urge parents to stay engaged, talk with their children, and remain vigilant. The FBI’s mission is clear: we will relentlessly pursue those who prey on children, hold them accountable, and stand with victims every step of the way.”

"Today’s guilty plea is a stark reminder of the dangers our children face online. This defendant exploited the trust and vulnerability of children through social media, committing acts of unimaginable cruelty, said Boone County Prosecutor, Kent Eastwood, on behalf of the C.A.S.E Task Force. “We will continue to pursue these cases relentlessly, and we remain committed to supporting survivors and holding predators fully accountable.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Boone County Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation (CASE) Task Force investigated this case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Lauless faces up to life in federal prison and will be sentenced by a U.S. District Judge later.   

The Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation, or CASE, Task Force was established in 2023 to support the investigatory and prosecution efforts of Boone County law enforcement as they pursue persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. The task force is made up of law enforcement personnel from the following Boone County agencies; the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office, the Lebanon Police Department, the Whitestown Police Department, and the Zionsville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Preston and Carolyn Haney are prosecuting this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims.

If you are a victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact your local police department. Resources for victims of child exploitation can be found on our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood.

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