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Press Release

Discord User Is Sentenced To 14 Years For Distributing Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. B Mayuresh Suresh Iyer, 26, of Matthews, N.C. was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for distributing child pornography on Discord, a popular messaging platform, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the sentenced imposed, U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney also ordered Iyer to pay a $35,000 special assessment, serve 25 years of supervised release, pay restitution to the victims of his offense, and to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department join Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and information introduced at the sentencing hearing, in October 2019, law enforcement received information that an individual later identified as Iyer was using his Discord user account to distribute child pornography. Discord is a popular free application that allows users to communicate with each other via voice and video calls and text messaging, and to share media files through private chats or communities referred to as “servers.”

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Iyer’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices, including two external hard drives. A forensic analysis of those devices revealed that Iyer possessed an extensive collection of child pornography, including over 800 videos and approximately 14,147 images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the child pornography in Iyer’s possession depicted prepubescent minors being abused through sadistic, masochistic and other violent conduct. In September 2020, Iyer pleaded guilty to distributing and attempting to distribute child pornography.

Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer thanked the FBI and CMPD for their investigation of this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark T. Odulio of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte was in charge of the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice, aimed at combating the growing online sexual exploitation of children. By combining resources, federal, state and local agencies are better able to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue those victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

Updated June 24, 2021

Topic
Project Safe Childhood