Jorel Fowler, a 32-year-old ex-convict, was arrested yesterday at his home in Queens (NYC), accused of impersonating a 15-year-old minor named “Lev” to allegedly request explicit images from a teenager he met in the video game. online Roblox in January, according to federal authorities.
The 32-year-old suspect was arraigned in Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday. The victim, who lives in Virginia, said she was 13 years old. The two struck up a correspondence on Snapchat, where he convinced her to send him sexual photos and videos of her, prosecutors alleged.
He is unable or unwilling to prevent this behavior…he is a serial predator who preys on minors”
Prosecutor Gilbert Rein on the defendant
Fowler asked for sexual images of her and told her, “I’m going to show you how to take a better picture” of her genitalia, according to court documents. In addition, the now defendant sent her a photo of her face at one point during the exchange.
The girl’s mother noticed that she was sending photos of herself on an iPad on February 18 and called the Fairfax County Police Department, which in turn contacted the FBI. When federal agents raided Fowler’s home in Far Rockaway, he tried to wipe data from one of his devices before opening the door, the feds allege.
Agents seized several devices, at least one of which contained “large amounts of child pornography,” according to Assistant US Attorney Gilbert Rein. These accusations were similar to those that landed Fowler in state prison in 2014.
That year he was arrested after he used the Omegle website to meet young girls and engage them in a “game” in which they earned “points” by smiling and showing off. He was detained just days before a planned trip to meet a 13-year-old girl in Oklahoma, prosecutors in Queens said at the time. Fowler was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison in 2015 and was paroled in March 2021.
In a letter Wednesday to Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo, prosecutor Rein called Fowler a flight risk and a danger to the community, he said. Daily News.
“He is unable or unwilling to prevent this behavior,” the prosecutor wrote. “The defendant is a serial predator who preys on minors by requesting sexually explicit images and videos of their bodies. The safety of the community and the defendant’s substantial flight risk require that he be detained pending trial.”
All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
In a similar case, Damon Rallis, former vice chair of the Southold Town (Long Island, NY) Democratic Committee and former leader of the town’s Boy Scout troop, pleaded guilty yesterday to distributing child pornography.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) warned since 2020 of an increase in cases of child pornography due to the longer time spent by adults and children online during the pandemic. If you are a victim or suspect that someone is being mistreated, especially if they are a minor or elderly person:
- Call 911 or 1.888.NYCWELL (1.888.692.9355).
- Text “WELL” to 65173.
- Review information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/es/