Chansler, 31, formerly of St. Johns, FL, was sentenced to years in federal prison for engaging in an extortion scheme to produce child pornography. On Aug. According to court testimony, Chansler targeted minor victims in 26 different states throughout the United States, three Canadian provinces, and the United Kingdom.
In all, victims have been positively identified, three of whom are in the metro Detroit area. He had a list of known screen names from various web sites, including Myspace, Stickham, and AIM that he used while sexually extorting victims. Court documents show that Chansler threatened hundreds of teen girls over the Internet, officials say, with the intent to extort photographs and webcam videos showing them exposing themselves and engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Chansler pretended to be a friend, acquaintance, or admirer of the victims on various social networking websites. After gaining some measure of trust from a particular victim, Chansler would invite her to engage in a live video chat, and later would ask her to expose herself. Unbeknownst to the victim, he was recording the video session.
Chansler often enticed his victims to expose themselves by showing a streaming video of a minor male exposing himself or engaging in sexually explicit behavior. If a victim did expose herself, he recorded it, and then demanded additional and more graphic images or webcam videos. He would inform the victim that if she did not comply, he would distribute the images and videos online, or send them to her family and friends.
(mh=Tft_R5D97vUEVusD)0.jpg "SEX ESCORT in Trenton")
Using information received from the parents of one victim and working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children NCMEC , agents were able to identify Chansler and locate his residence. A federal search warrant was executed at the residence on Jan. During an interview, Chansler stated that he used social networking sites to meet girls who ranged in age from 13 to These folders contained personal information specific to the victims, as well as related chat logs and videos or digital photos.
