Rockville Man Sentenced for Extorting Sexually Explicit Photos From Juvenile Girls

A Rockville man who extorted explicit photos from young girls was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release, officials said Wednesday.

Marc Joseph Punzalan, 21, met young girls ages 12 through 16 using social media and Internet chat rooms and convinced them to send him sexually explicit photographs of themselves.

Punzalan asked for increasingly graphic photographs, police said. When the young girls refused, Punzalan threatened to post the pictures he already had online and tell the victims’ friends and families.

According to his plea agreement, Punzalan contacted four of his victims starting in January 2012 and continuing through January 2014. He assumed the identity of at least one victim and used her identity to convince other young girls to send him photos.

Punzalan used the victims’ names to create social media accounts and post the images he received.

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Punzalan and ordered him to pay $10,000 in restitution. He must also register as a sex offender where he lives and works upon his release.

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