Report: Teen blackmailed classmates via Facebook

In one of the more sordid accounts of online predation we've read recently, the Associated Press reported on Thursday that a Wisconsin teen used a fake Facebook profile to blackmail his classmates into giving sexual favors.

Eighteen-year-old high school student Anthony Stancl is accused of creating a Facebook profile belonging to a nonexistent teenage girl and then, between approximately the spring of 2007 and November of 2008, using it to convince more than 30 of his male classmates to send in nude photos or videos of themselves.

Stancl then told many of them that unless they engaged in some sort of sexual activity with him, he would put the photos or videos on the Internet. At least seven of them have said they were coerced into sex acts, which Stancl allegedly documented with a cell phone camera.

There were about 300 photos of underage males, some of which were as young as 15, on Stancl's computer, police in the teen's hometown of New Berlin, Wisc., told the AP. Stancl had originally come under police scrutiny in November, after he issued a bomb threat that temporarily closed New Berlin High School.

The emergence of the case comes at a time when social-networking safety is back in the spotlight. After a subpoena from the Connecticut attorney general, the News Corp.-owned networking site MySpace handed over the names of 90,000 registered sex offenders that had profiles on the site, and pressure mounted for Facebook to do something similar.

What's important to keep in mind, lest this incident set off more hysteria about the dangers of teens and Facebook profiles, is that this sort of activity could have happened over an instant-message client, another social network, or an online message board.

It's true, however, that the Internet can cloak a criminal in anonymity or a fabricated identity--in one particularly tragic case, a woman posed as a teenage boy on MySpace and allegedly harassed a 13-year-old girl to the point of suicide.

A recent report from the Internet Safety Technical Task Force concluded that threats to minors online are more complicated than the stereotype of a lone adult seeking out vulnerable teens: in the case of Anthony Stancl, for example, the sexual predator was one of the victims' own high-school classmates.

[brokenroadtv]

This is truly sad. Teens are so highly motivated and creative if we give them the proper tools and outlets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34sfUtUa344

I hope that the tide will eventually change for the better!

[Universal_Indie_Records]

Wow... what more can be said?

[sodapop2k9]

I hope they charge those 30 kids with distributing child porn.

[Dr_Zinj]

Don't be stupid. The 30 young teenage males who sent in naked pictures were set up. A hot, pretty girl asks you for a sexually explict photo of yourself, it's not unsolicited. Depending on the age differences and state at the time of the alleged incidents, porn laws may not apply to them.



The point you missed is that the 30 males were victimized by this Anthony Stancl. Blackmailed into homosexual, possibly pedophilial rape. [CNET editors note: Prohibited content deleted.]



Another prime instance of the alleged link between homosexuality, and homosexual pedaphilia. Anyone know of a couple of good studies that support, or negate, the validity of the link theory?

[lacykemp]

Ok..when I was 15 I think I was of sound mind and judgement to NOT give anyone naked photos of myself. Do these kids not understand how stupid that is?

[mediocrates--2008]

When you were 15, you had the sound mind and judgment NOT to get a second party to take the picture with a moderately expensive camera, then find someone, somewhere, that would develop the film for you, and charge you a reasonable fee for however many copies you wanted to make? Which you would then have to deliver personally or mail by US Post?

Let's admit that the difference is in the ease and availability of photo-sharing, and not in the declining quality of 15-year-old sense.

[sythara]

mediocrates--2008

Sure, blame it on technology.

The kids willingly did what they did, fully realizing what they were doing. They are not very smart, and in the future I foresee them being victims of the Nigerian letter scam. Stupid people will always be stupid, except in the past they died due to lack of safety equipment, now they live on to reproduce and breed more idiots.

Not saying that what this dude did was right, it wasn't. in fact that was very wrong, but people who fell for it are just as equally responsible and should be prosecuted at the very least for being idiots.

[BSinton]

The lad has the ability to inivate .
He could be the next Bill Gates

[dbackfan638]

HOPE THIS IDIOT GOT BUSTED FOR POSSION OF PORN!

[susanfdm]

As a mom, I find it very scary that there are so many sexual predators on the social networking sites. As careful as I try to be, I can't be sure my child is completely safe. There is a web site that can help parents contact their attorney general and MySpace to determine whether their child has been contacted by a sexual predator. www.childonlineprotectionservice.com

[Dalkorian]

Why are you to stupid to understand anything? Of course you can't be sure your child is completely safe, no parent ever could. It's your JOB to teach your children to use their brains and not fall for something stupid like this! It it NOT Myspace's job, it's not the job of some website you feel like prostituting for - it's all yours and yours alone.

[Stefaninafla]

Ummm... even at the age of 15, I would not have sent some random person sexually explicit material of myself on request. These kids either were brought up in a bubble, or they're just plain stupid.
Prosecute the perpetrator according to law, and teach those kids personal responsibility!

[Harrison912]

As a web site owner of safety and security products as well as a parent, this information is very disturbing. I'm on FaceBook to socially market and raise awareness for my products. Most parents feel defenseless when it comes to keeping an eye on their teens computer activity because they don't realize there is a product available to help them with this. The KEYkatcher home model is such a tool and is very reasonably priced.

Although this keylogger can help parents monitor their teens computer activity it won't help with their cell phone activities. Dr. Phil actually did a show last week on this topic and apparently there is a product or service that is available for this too. I think if you go to Dr. Phil.com you can locate it.

Thanks, Caroline, for this interesting but disturbing information.

[confuciousx]

What?!!! Facebook isn't immune to such acts against underage teenagers?!! All this time people thought only Myspace was the playing field for this kind of behavior. Hopefully this is a wake up call to all those self righteous Facebookers who praise the site for its clean, organized and "safe" online image. The truth be said, ANY place that becomes popular and has children as part of its demographic is prone to horrendous situations such as this. The only upside to this story is that it debunked the myth that Facebook and people on it are all out wholesome and without criminal tendencies. Parents, keep an eye on your children...THAT is the bottom line.

[bease1]

Dr. Zinj -

First of all, I in no way condone the actions of this man, and I believe he should be prosecuted. Consider this, though:

Let's imagine a scenario in which the accused was actually the 18 year old girl he posed as. The law, after all, is about technicalities: once you turn 18, if you blackmail and rape, you are fully subject to maximum prosecution, right? Ask yourself, would any prosecutor seek to sentence an 18 year old female to 300 years in jail for the blackmail and rape of her fellow, male classmates?



The only reason this case is considered so scandalous is because the accused posed as a girl. The only reason he will be in prison for the rest of his life is because he is GAY. We can't LYNCH them like they do in IRAN so we sentence them to 300 years! Shame, shame, shame on people who use the black and white nature of the American legal system so harshly. Shame, shame on you.


[CNET editors note: Prohibited content deleted.]