Southern Illinois man guilty on 25 federal counts of child porn, ‘sextortion’
A federal jury in East St. Louis convicted a southern Illinois man on 25 counts of extortion, cyberstalking and the production and distribution of child pornography involving nine minors.
Michael A. Ferris, 44, of Mill Shoals in Wayne County east of Mount Vernon, targeted girls ranging in age from 11 to 17 years old, charging documents state. He got them to answer personal questions about themselves, then convinced them under threat that he’d reveal their answers to send him nude photos, according to the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
He then leveraged the photos to extort them into sending more photos and performing sexual acts on video chats, the charges state.
If the victims resisted or pleaded to stop, Ferris harassed them and threatened to show the photos to their friends, parents, police or child protective services. Even after they complied, he would often still distribute the explicit material, federal prosecutors were able to prove.
The “sextortion” occurred from at least March 2020 to November 2020, the charges alleged. Victims traveled from multiple states to testify at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis against Ferris.
“Ferris preyed upon some of the most vulnerable people in the community, children, by using shame and fear to gain power over them,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Crowe through a release. “Fortunately, those minor victims and their families came from across the country to testify and hold Ferris accountable for his disturbing demands.
“Discussions with children about their social media use and who they can talk to about problems online helps to combat predators like Michael Ferris.”
In one incident, Ferris portrayed himself on Facebook as a teenage girl using the name “Sammy Gray,” court documents show. Citing Facebook and cellphone records, prosecutors alleged that “Sammy Gray” asked two girls, ages 14 and 16, about their ages and their sexual contacts.
He inquired about a brother who witnessed one of the girls showering and changing her clothes and convinced her to send him nude photos of herself under the threat that he’d report the brother to police.
After the photos were sent, the charging documents state, Ferris continued to threaten to contact police or share the explicit photos with the teenagers’ families. He used that threat to get one of the victims to appear in video chat to perform sex acts on herself and others, according to court records.
“No matter what my voice sounds like, you’re going to answer my questions. It’s going to be video chat understand,” he told her, according to charges.
In a second conversation, Ferris ordered another victim to perform a sex act on her younger brother for video, again threatening her with contacting the police and sharing her photos with family.
According to court documents, Ferris had established 24 Facebook accounts under the name “Sammy Gray” and made contact with other users who identified themselves as minor girls. He used the accounts in a similar pattern, asking the girls if their father or brother had ever walked in on them showering or dressing. If they said yes, he’d threaten to call police unless they complied with his demands.
The investigation was conducted by agents from Homeland Security Investigations-Springfield, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations domestic and international offices; Jackson County, Oregon, Sheriff’s Office; Jefferson County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office; Illinois State Police; and Aurora, Missouri, Police Department.
Victim and witness support was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office from the Southern District of Illinois, the Eastern District of Missouri, and Homeland Security Investigations, according to a release from the federal court.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ali Burns and Luke Weissler prosecuted the case.
“I commend those that bravely came forward to testify to help get Ferris off our streets and away from other children he might harm,” said Homeland Security Investigations Chicago Special Agent in Charge R. Sean Fitzgerald. “HSI and our law enforcement partners will continue to work within our communities to aid and assist victims of these crimes and bring the predators to justice.”
A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
To report online child sexual exploitation, use the electronic Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with the FBI and other law enforcement agency.
This story was originally published November 23, 2022 at 10:29 AM.