INKSTER, Mich. – An Inkster man received dozens of nude images and videos from a fifth-grade girl and other children after offering to send them video game currency, officials said.
A criminal complaint filed Dec. 6 accuses Dimon Leon England of using Snapchat to entice children to send him child pornography.
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Interview with 10-year-old girl
Officials with Homeland Security Investigations said a 10-year-old girl in Maryland was interviewed Aug. 9 about a user she had chatted with on Snapchat.
When they asked her if she knew why she was being interviewed, the girl said, “I sent nudes to this guy who is probably old or older.”
The girl said he asked her to send sexually explicit photos and videos of herself in exchange for “Robux,” which is an in-game currency for the game “Roblox.”
She said the man friended her on Snapchat sometime after June 7, and they would send photos and videos to each other. She never met him in person, but she assumed he was a man.
The man told the girl he would pay her if she sent him “nudes,” according to the criminal complaint. He offered a $25 Robux gift card, and she said she thought, “It was for money, so why not.”
She said she sent him photos of her private parts with no clothes on. When she told the man that she was 10 years old, he told her, “I like them young,” the criminal complaint says.
Specifically, the girl said she sent the man five photos of her chest and more than 10 other sexual photos and videos. She told police that the man asked her to use objects in some of the videos.
One time, the girl went on a trip, and when she returned, the man said she had “disappeared,” and then he asked for more photos, according to authorities.
He would often call her a derogatory sexual term when they chatted, the girl said.
She would take the videos in her bedroom or the bathroom late at night while everyone else in her house was asleep, officials said. The last time she sent photos was “a few weeks ago,” she told police.
The girl said she told her friend about what was happening, and her friend said she shouldn’t be sending those pictures and videos. She blocked the Snapchat account and sent a screenshot of his name to a family member.
Officials said the girl never received any money for the photos or videos.
The family member showed police the screenshot, which included a Snapchat username that they traced back to England, the criminal complaint says.
Snapchat images
Officials received warrants on Aug. 16 for the Snapchat accounts belonging to the 10-year-old girl and England, they said.
England’s account had been created June 16, deactivated Aug. 4, and reactivated Aug. 7.
While searching England’s account, police said they found several images of the 10-year-old girl sitting naked on a toilet. There were videos of her using objects in a sexual manner, authorities said.
Screenshots of an Amazon account listing Roblox gift cards were found, and officials believe the cards were sent to “numerous Snapchat accounts” in exchange for sexual pictures and videos.
Several of the images found on England’s account meet the federal definition of child pornography, the criminal complaint says.
England interviews
Homeland Security investigators from Detroit spoke with England on Dec. 6 at his home in Inkster. They said he agreed to speak to them, even though he was not under arrest at the time.
He told officials he had two Snapchat accounts and that random links containing child pornography had been sent to his cellphone.
“He stated someone kept sending him links on the application Telegram,” the complaint reads. “He did not know what the links were so he opened them, saw they contained child pornography, and went back to playing games.”
He admitted to chatting with minors on one of the Snapchat accounts and asking them to send nude images. He said he would sometimes ask them their ages and then continue requesting sexually explicit images and videos, officials said.
“England stated he would sometimes tell the minors to use their fingers or objects such as hairbrushes, markers, pens, and pencils to touch themselves,” the criminal complaint says.
Officials said England admitted to having about 50 child porn images.
He admitted to swapping sexually explicit images and videos of minors with other people, according to authorities.
England told police he once bought a sex toy on Amazon for a 15-year-old girl, sent it to her, and asked her to use it on herself. He said he had videos of the girl using the sex toy, according to officials.
England admitted that he asked some children to send nudes in exchange for “Robux.” He said he would meet them online, move over to Snapchat, and then ask them “to do stuff.”
If the children listened to him and sent what he asked for, he would give them the code for $25 in Robux, but if they didn’t listen, he would only send them $10 in Robux, court records show.
He said the last time he sent Robux in exchange for nude images or photos was “a few months ago.”
Officials said England admitted the youngest child he had chatted with was 10 or 11 years old. He said he was also chatting with children ages 13-16.
In a second interview, England admitted under oath that he chatted with girls ages 10-15, and then 10-16 when he got older. He said he would request pictures in their underwear to make sure they were girls, and then ask for nude photos or videos, according to authorities.
He also said he has used Omegle to trade child pornography, the criminal complaint says.
A search of England’s cellphone showed he is a member of a Telegram group that shares child pornography, officials said.
Conclusion
The complaint concludes there’s probable cause that England knowingly persuaded, induced, enticed, or coerced people under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity that can result in a criminal charge.
He is also accused of producing, receiving, or possessing child pornography that had been mailed, shipped, or transported in interstate commerce by computer or any means.