DOJ: Lewiston man engaged in ‘online sextortion scheme’ targeting underage girls

(KWNO)-Federal charges against a Lewiston man include thirteen counts of producing child pornography. The U.S. Department of Justice says 30-year-old Valentin Silva Quintana used social media apps including Snapchat and Instagram to “threaten, sexually manipulate and exploit more than 60 girls primarily between 9 and 12 years old.” The DOJ calls it an online sextortion scheme in which Quintana lied about his age and used fake identities, sometimes posing as a minor girl himself, and then coerced the victims into sending him sexual photos or videos. Quintana then allegedly threatened to send the images to victims’ family and friends if they didn’t produce more graphic sexual images and videos for him. According to a DOJ press release some of the victims wept and begged Quintana to stop. The more than 60 victims come from several states and New Zealand. Law enforcement believes there may be additional victims as well. The Winona County Sheriff’s Office started this investigation after receiving a cyber tip about Quintana last summer. Quintana made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul on Thursday. He will remain in custody pending future court proceedings.