A Florida man has been sentenced to 105 years in prison after pleading guilty to using online threats to extort pornographic images from children.
The lengthy sentence was imposed last week by a Jacksonville federal judge on 31-year-old Lucas Chansler. He pleaded guilty in August to nine counts of producing child pornography.
Prosecutors say Chansler communicated with hundreds of girls in 26 states on the Internet, pretending to be a friend or acquaintance. After gaining trust, investigators say Chansler would persuade a girl to expose herself on a video chat and record it.
Then Chansler would threaten to put the images online unless the girl provided more pornographic material. The victims were usually between 13 and 18 years old. Authorities say Chansler had about 80,000 pornographic images in his possession.
