ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando man has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for enticing an 11-year-old boy to create and send sexually explicit videos of himself, according to the Department of Justice.
Brandon Planas, 39, began chatting with the child on Instagram messenger in August 2019, according to court documents.
It wasn't long, the DOJ says, before Planas sent the child a pornographic image that he claimed to be of himself and requested that the child reciprocate. The child created several videos of his genitalia and sent at least one to Planas in October 2019, according to a press release.
The child's parents then, according to the document, discovered the chats and contacted the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. An investigation revealed that Planas tried to initiate contact with the child through several channels including video chat requests and different Instagram usernames, the DOJ says.
That's when the release says the child's parents contacted the FBI, which prompted an undercover agent to assume the child's identity online and continue conversations with Planas. The DOJ says that Planas asked for more pornographic images of the child.
According to a press release, in July 2020 Planas admitted to, among other things, soliciting sexually explicit images from the 11-year-old. A forensic review revealed Planas also used additional social media profiles to request pornographic images from others.
Planas pleaded guilty on March 2, 2021. In addition to 17 years in federal prison, the DOJ says Planas was ordered to register as a sex offender and forfeit the electronic devices that he used to commit his offense.
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