Former FBI contractor indicted on child sex crimes after allegedly grooming young boys on Discord, Snapchat

A former Federal Bureau of Investigation contractor has been hit with a slew of charges in connection with alleged sexual exploitation of children. Brett Janes, 26, is accused of grooming multiple young boys over the internet, and threatening to kill himself if they did not comply with his demands.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted Janes on two counts of sexual exploitation of children and production of child sexual abuse material, one count of attempted coercion and enticement, and one count of receipt of child pornography.

According to the Department of Justice, Janes allegedly contacted around a dozen boys via Discord and Snapchat with the goal of coercing them into sending him sexual content. He reportedly met one of his victims through the video game Valorant. The Arlington, Virginia native allegedly "groomed the minors by telling them he worked for a US intelligence agency," and threatened to commit suicide if they stopped talking to him. 

In one instance, Janes allegedly coerced a 13-year-old boy he had met via a video game to "strip and masturbate over a live video Discord call by threatening to kill himself and by paying him money over CashApp." He then allegedly enticed a 12-year-old boy via "flattery and repeated begging" to create and send him sexual material over Discord. Both boys complied with his demands, as did two others. Janes also allegedly attempted to meet up with a minor in person, and purchased "hundreds" of photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

If convicted, Janes will face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

The case is currently being investigated by the FBI and Arlington County Police, and will be prosecuted by Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. It was brought via Project Safe Childhood, a "nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse", launched in 2006.