A Hillsboro resident, Jorge Rosales, 29, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of sexually exploiting a child and cyberstalking. The sentencing took place on Thursday afternoon in Portland.
Court documents show that Rosales met a minor who lived outside the United States through Musical.ly, a social media application that later became TikTok. He convinced the child to send him sexually explicit images and videos. After receiving these files, Rosales threatened to distribute them to the child’s family and friends unless more were provided. Over several months, he continued to stalk and harass the child and the child’s online friends using multiple social media accounts on platforms including TikTok and Snapchat.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Rosales’s home, where they seized electronic devices. A search of these devices uncovered a collection of child pornography, including videos involving the victimized child. Investigators also found evidence of some of the social media accounts used by Rosales during his crimes.
The investigation was led by HSI with support from law enforcement in the child’s country of residence as well as the Hillsboro Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Gary Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative organized by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. This project coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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