Florida man arrested in Franklin County sextortion investigation with dozens of victims

Jared Weaver
·2 min read
1

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– A sexual extortion investigation in Franklin County has led to the discovery of dozens more victims across the country and the arrest of a man in Florida.

State Police in Chambersburg say Alvaro Andres Valarezo Sandoval, 34, of Florida, is accused of sexually extorting dozens of people since 2013.

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Sexual extortion is defined as the “criminal act of receiving sexually explicit material from an individual, that individual can be an adult or minor, and once the sexually explicit material is received, it is sued as blackmail,” according to State Police.

Troopers say since 2019 they discovered that five children (four girls and one boy) between the ages of 12-17 were being sexually extorted across townships in Franklin County.

This investigation then led to the discovery of more than 30 people being sexually extorted across the United States and even internationally. According to State Police, they were able to figure out that Valarezo Sandoval was a suspect.

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Valarezo Sandoval was taken into custody on Jan. 18 with the help of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and their Special Operations Team, and the Miami-Dade Police Department. There were also electronic devices taken by law enforcement when they reached his home.

“The Pennsylvania State Police will continue to relentlessly pursue these criminal predators who perpetrate this deplorable activity with the assistance from our local, state and federal law enforcement partners,” State Police said in the release.

Valarezo Sandoval faces numerous charges in Pennsylvania that include unlawful contact with a minor, child pornography, criminal solicitation, disseminating explicit sexual materials of a minor, and criminal use of a communication facility.

State Police say that anyone who is sexually exploited is the victim of a crime and not to blame. People are urged to contact local law enforcement agencies or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

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