COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - A College Park man was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years and 10 months in federal prison after posing as a child online to target young girls across the country, federal prosecutors said.
What we know:
Dye’Shuan Green, 23, targeted young girls on social media and gaming sites by pretending to be a boy their age, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Investigators said Green built relationships with victims—some as young as 9 years old—and manipulated or threatened them into sending nude photos and videos.
Green pleaded guilty on June 29 to one count of production of child sexual abuse material and four counts of enticement to create child sexual abuse material.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty sentenced Green on Tuesday to nearly 17 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release.
A search of Green’s phone revealed chats with hundreds of young girls.
The backstory:
In 2022, a mother in Columbus, Georgia, reported to local police that her daughter was tricked into sending nude photos to an online user claiming to be a child.
The FBI then launched a multi-year probe into Green's online activity.
Green formally pleaded guilty to federal child exploitation charges on June 29. Judge Geraghty handed down Green's sentence on Oct. 13.
This prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in February 2006 by the Department of Justice. The program coordinates federal, state and local resources to track down and prosecute child predators.
What we don't know:
Federal authorities have not released the total number of victims identified nationwide.
It remains unknown how many specific social media and gaming platforms Green utilized to contact children.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, which detailed statements from U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham, and court records from the U.S. District Court.