Video is from June 2022
MINNEAPOLIS — A St. Paul man will spend four decades behind bars for sextorting hundreds of girls across the country over the last five years.
In court Wednesday, Yue Vang, 31, was sentenced to 516 months – or 43 years – in prison on multiple child pornography charges. Vang pleaded guilty to those federal charges in early June.
According to court documents, Vang used Snapchat, Kik, and Skype to communicate with hundreds of girls throughout the U.S. and made fake female profiles to prey on vulnerable girls he met online, coercing them into creating sexually explicit videos and sending them to him.
Vang also threatened to send those videos to family and friends unless the girls sent him more sexually explicit content.
At least 500 girls have been identified as victims, prosecutors say, though they believe there could be as many as 1,000 victims. Anyone who believes they are or might know a victim is asked to contact federal investigators.
Following his 43-year sentence, Vang will have supervised release for the remainder of his life.
What you can do to protect your family
Reporting tips to the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, among others, are obviously key to investigating these crimes and ultimately prosecuting online predators.
Of course, there are also plenty of red flags for users to be aware of to protect themselves. The most effective way to prevent sextortion, however, is to strengthen the parent-child relationship and engage in meaningful discussions.
Resources for crime victims can be found on the Minnesota Department of Corrections website.
Source: CBS Minnesota
Be First to Comment