A Silver Spring, Maryland, man will spend the next half-century in federal prison for exploiting children online — a scheme he used to go after more than 100 young girls around the world.
Twenty-eight-year-old Chase William Mulligan was sentenced to 50 years behind bars Tuesday, followed by 25 years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Mulligan used social media and gaming platforms — Snapchat, Discord, Roblox, Skype, Omegle and Instagram among them — between 2019 and late 2023 to contact girls between the ages of 5 and 17.
Prosecutors said he coerced at least 108 girls in the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Spain, the Philippines, Australia and the United Kingdom into sending sexually explicit images and videos.
When the girls tried to cut off contact, prosecutors said Mulligan threatened to post their images online or show up at their homes. Court documents detail escalating demands, with Mulligan pressuring victims to send increasingly explicit material.
As part of his plea deal, Mulligan must also register as a sex offender.
Federal officials said the prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Justice Department initiative aimed at identifying victims and prosecuting those who sexually exploit children.
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