Man Arrested for Sextortion Scheme Involving Minor Children

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Warrenton man was arrested today for his alleged role in a sextortion scheme involving minor children.

According to court documents, Filippo Parlagreco, 35, allegedly sought and obtained via a social media application sexually explicit images of an 11-year-old minor, threatened to disseminate the images if the minor did not produce more, and then shared sexually explicit images of the minor with others via encrypted messaging applications. As alleged in the complaint, law enforcement identified the minor victim after another minor victim notified the police that the defendant had posted photos of her undressed on a social media application without her consent, and demanded additional images from her as a condition of taking the photos down.

Parlagreco is charged with sexual exploitation of children. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendelynn Bills is prosecuting the case.

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of FBI agents and local, state and federal partners.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-mj-155.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.