A Broward County man who coerced girls as young as 13 into sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves then threatened to release them if they didn't send him more has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
Steven Dexter Gangoo, 20, will also serve 25 years of supervised release, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith ordered, according to a Wednesday news release from the Department of Justice.
According to court records, Gangoo would contact the young girls on social media, tell them they were pretty, and have the girls send him suggestive photographs of themselves.
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He initially offered them money but after they sent the requested images or videos, Gangoo would extort the girls by using the images and videos as leverage to have them send him more explicit materials, authorities said.
When the girls refused to comply with Gangoo's demands, he would threaten to send the nude images and videos to their family and friends, authorities said.
In one case involving a 16-year-old girl, Gangoo made good on his threat, sending nude photos of her to her friends on Instagram.
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One of the victims told her parents about Gangoo's demands, prompting an investigation by the FBI, Plantation Police, and Fort Lauderdale Police.
Investigators discovered Gangoo was actively trading child sex abuse material with other like-minded subjects using various online social media platforms, officials said.
On January 11, Gangoo pled guilty to producing child pornography.
