Teen used child porn to get ‘rank’ in online gaming community, Florida cops say
A 17-year-old boy wanting to increase his “rank” among online gamers resorted to offering them child porn to curry favor, according to detectives in Florida.
The porn-for-prestige plan was exposed when child sex abuse files were uploaded to a free internet chat app known for “playing games and chilling with friends,” investigators say.
“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ... indicated a user uploaded multiple files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to Discord ... an internet-based communications application popular among video gamers,” the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a Jan. 28 news release.
“A series of search warrants and investigative subpoenas ... determined (a 17-year-old) was the user who uploaded the files. During the investigation, a second tip from NCMEC indicated he sent messages in a group chat advertising that he was in possession of CSAM.”
Marion County investigators traced the Discord account to a family’s home in Ocala, and determined a teen “was the sole user of the Discord account,” officials said.
The suspect “ultimately admitted that he had been downloading material depicting CSAM because other users advised they would gain ‘rank’ for him if he acquired the material for them,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators did not reveal the name of the online gaming group. Discord launched in 2015 “as a chat platform for gamers and it has since grown to host communities of all kinds,” the app reports. It currently has more than 150 million monthly users.
The teen was arrested and charged with “four counts of possession of child pornography and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony,” the sheriff’s office said. He was transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Additional charges may be filed in connection with 30 child sex abuse files found on the teen’s phone after his arrest, officials said.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Teen used child porn to get ‘rank’ in online gaming community, Florida cops say."