United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced
the sentencing of BARTON GEORGE SCOTT, 36, a registered sex offender, to 25
years in prison for producing child pornography. SCOTT, who pleaded guilty on
February 6, 2019, was sentenced today before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S.
District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.
United States Attorney Erica MacDonald said, “Mr. Scott is a
convicted sex offender and a sextortionist. He terrorized his victims by
hacking into their Snapchat accounts to access highly sensitive and private
pictures. He then taunted his victims and threatened to disseminate their
private pictures if they didn’t comply with his demands. Today’s sentence sends
a clear message that sextortion is a serious crime that will be met with
serious consequences.”
“A case like this really underscores the FBI’s proactive
approach to identifying people who exploit children with pornography,” said
Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Division. “Our
agents are vigilant and continue their active role to ensure that children are
protected and that sexual predators are removed from children’s lives.”
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed
in court, between April 30 and August 8, 2017, SCOTT gained unauthorized access
to the Snapchat accounts of dozens of victims, including minors between 14-16
years of age. In several cases, SCOTT used threats and extortionate tactics in
an attempt to obtain sexually explicit images and videos from the victims.
Based on the evidence obtained in this case, authorities
believe there may be additional victims of this alleged conduct. Anyone with
information about this matter is encouraged to call the FBI at (763) 569-8000.
Callers may remain anonymous.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a
nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual
exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led
by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal,
state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals
who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue
victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.justice.gov/psc.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the
FBI, the New Richmond Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police
Department, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Croix County Sheriff’s
Office, the Stillwater Police Department, the Spring Green Police Department,
and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine T. Buzicky prosecuted the
case.
Defendant Information:
BARTON GEORGE SCOTT, 36
City of residence unknown
Convicted:
Production of
child pornography, 1 count
Penalties for
registered sex offenders, 1 count
Sentenced:
300 months in
prison
Lifetime of
supervised release
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