Melville man facing child porn charges in “sextortion” scheme, Sini says
A Melville man was indicted on charges of child pornography in connection with a “sextortion” scheme carried out on social media, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini said Thursday.
Bradley Garyn, 27, faces 27 counts after his indictment Wednesday before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Chris Ann Kelley. Bail was set at $300,000 cash, $500,000 bond, or $1 million partially-secured bond. For the top counts of Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance, Garyn faces a maximum consecutive sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison.
His defense lawyer, Ira Weissman, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night. Garyn is due back in court April 23.
Sini said that Garyn, who was arrested Dec. 3, paid underage girls $10 for pictures of their feet, contacting them on Snapchat with usernames like “ipay4feetpics,” “paying4feetpics” and “PayU4Selfies.” He paid electronically, sometimes using Cash App or Amazon gift certificates, Sini said.
Garyn solicited increasingly explicit photographs and videos in exchange for higher amounts of money, up to $500, Sini said. Garyn coerced a victim into sending him sexually explicit photographs and video by threatening to disseminate intimate images of her, Sini said.
He was indicted on charges related to five alleged victims, but an investigation revealed evidence of more potential victims, Sini said. Authorities recovered Garyn’s Amazon account history, which included the purchase of approximately 900 Amazon gift codes sent to more than 200 recipients. Authorities are still analyzing computer equipment and cellphones seized from Garyn under search warrants when he was arrested.
“This is a very disturbing case that started with one brave victim coming forward, and our investigation continues to uncover predatory behavior by this defendant against additional victims,” Sini said. “He used social media as a hunting ground and lured these young girls into his scheme, using cash payments in exchange for his twisted, ever-increasing demands. While his scheme has effectively been shut down by this investigation, we know there are many others out there just like him who are using social media to prey upon vulnerable, unsuspecting young victims, so I once again implore parents to monitor your child’s cell phone use and talk to them about the dangers of interacting with strangers on these apps.”
