Gaithersburg Man Pleads Guilty To Receiving Child Pornography, Extorting Minors
GREENBELT, Md. (WJZ) -- Zhi Tian Lang, age 23, pleaded guilty Wednesday to receipt of child pornography and extortion by threats to post revealing photos of the victims on social media.
According to the guilty plea, Lang used a messaging app under the name 'Seth' to contact 13- to 17-year old minor female victims from January through October of 2014.
The victims were located throughout the United States, including South Dakota, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
Lang would obtain initial pictures of these victims through social media accounts or direct communication that often showed the victims in their underwear, and would then coerce the victims by demanding that if the victims did not send him nude pictures, he would send the initial pictures to people the victims may know and post them online, officials said.
Lang will be required to register as a sex offender and pay a special assessment of $5,000. He faces a mandatory sentence of five years and a full sentence of 22 years in prison.
Lang's sentencing for January 8, 2020 at 9:30 a.m.
