Burke County man sentenced for asking children for explicit photos via video game
A Burke County man was recently sentenced to federal prison after admitting to coercing a child to take sexually explicit photos.
Keyshawn Omar Cooper, 21, of Waynesboro, was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to production of child pornography, according to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Cooper to pay $3,000 in restitution, serve 15 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender after the completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
"This predatory crime represents a nightmare scenario for parents whose children connect with others to play games over the internet," Steinberg said in a news release. "Thanks to the vigilance of one of those parents and diligent law enforcement partners, Keyshawn Cooper is no longer a danger to children."
Cooper in May 2021 communicated with an 11-year-old child in Missouri while playing Grand Theft Auto and pretended to be a young girl to persuade the child to send sexually explicit photos, according to the release.
The child’s mother found out what was happening and reported it to police in Cape Girardeau, Mo., who enlisted the assistance of the FBI in identifying and locating Cooper, according to the release. Agents found the images, along with other sexually explicit images of children, saved on a phone seized from Cooper.
“The internet is a very important and useful resource, but unfortunately can also be used for illegal activity as criminals like Cooper seek to prey on the most vulnerable of our population,” said Brian Ozden, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Let this be a reminder to parents and caregivers, people can pretend to be anyone online, and you need to remain vigilant with monitoring your child’s online gaming activity and educating them about the risks of communicating with strangers.”
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
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This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Burke County man facing more than 16 years for crimes via video game
