Tigard man gets 15 years for sexually exploiting girls online

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A federal judge has sentenced a 50-year-old Tigard man to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for contacting, grooming and sexually exploiting girls via social media.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports David Otto was sentenced Wednesday.

An investigation began after the mother of one of Otto’s seven victims reported to Sonora Police Department in California in November 2016 that her 15-year-old daughter had been having inappropriate communications with an unknown man on Instagram.

Prosecutors say she had engaged in sexual conversations with Otto and, when prompted, sent him nude photos of herself.

Investigators linked the Instagram account to Otto using the IP address.

The FBI took over the case after discovering Otto had engaged in similar online conversations with six other teenage girls who lived around the country.

Otto pleaded guilty in February 2018 to one count of producing child pornography.

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News release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

TIGARD MAN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR SEXUALLY EXPLOTING MINORS USING SOCIAL MEDIA

PORTLAND, Ore.–David Earnest Otto, 50, of Tigard, Oregon, was sentenced today to 180 months in federal prison and lifetime supervised release after finding, contacting, grooming and sexually exploiting seven minor girls ages 13-to-17 using a variety of social media platforms.

According to court documents, on November 20, 2016, the mother of one of Otto’s minor victims contacted the Sonora Police Department in Sonora, California to report that her fifteen-year-old daughter had been communicating on Instagram with an unknown adult male. An analysis of the victim’s chat log revealed that she had engaged in highly sexual conversations with another Instagram user and, when prompted, sent the user nude photos of herself. Investigators linked the subject’s Instagram account to Otto using the IP address of his home in Tigard.

Following execution of a search warrant at the Tigard residence, investigators analyzed the data on Otto’s seized digital devices and discovered six additional minor victims located around the country. FBI agents, in cooperation with local officials, then sought to locate and interview the victims. The victims described similar crimes, in which Otto contacted them on social media or via the internet and, having built rapport with them, directed them to produce and send him images and videos of child pornography.

On February 6, 2018, Otto pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.

This case was investigated by FBI Portland’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) and Sonora Police Department and was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

FBI Portland CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations–many of them undercover–in coordination with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering underage victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at www.fbi.gov/tips.