ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Alaska man who was a volunteer student manager for a high school volleyball team was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a child pornography charge.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, Vince Jay Deliguin, 20, of Kodiak, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography in February.
He was originally arrested on state charges in May 2021 and indicted in November 2021 on the three federal charges, the news release stated.
Kodiak Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Sextortion: Vince Deliguin of Kodiak has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the production of child pornography. https://t.co/o702rqvpKF
— FBI Anchorage (@FBIAnchorage) August 18, 2022
Deliguin was a 2020 graduate of Kodiak High School and was a volunteer student manager for the athletic program’s volleyball team, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Prosecutors said that Deliguin created a fake social media account using the female name “Marley Madden” and contacted a minor victim in April 2021. According to court records, Deliguin convinced the victim to send him explicit photographs. After receiving the photos, prosecutors said that Deliguin attempted to blackmail the victim by threatening to release the photos unless the victim agreed to meet him.
The victim recognized Deliguin when they met, KTUU-TV reported. Deliguin then blackmailed the victim into engaging in sexual acts three times and attempted a fourth meeting before the victim contacted authorities, court records state.
“The pursuit of individuals who sexually exploit children and produce child pornography is one of our highest priorities,” U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker said in a statement. “Deliguin’s relentless, aggressive and threatening behavior in victimizing an innocent youth in Kodiak is disturbing and caused significant emotional harm. We recognize the courage it takes for a minor victim to report sexual abuse to authorities. Because of this brave young victim, the perpetrator was brought to justice, making our communities and children safer.”
Deliguin’s attorney, Steven Wells, asked the judge to sentence him to 15 years in prison -- the minimum sentence for the charge, according to KTUU. Wells wrote in a sentencing memorandum that Deliguin was not actively seeking out minors, and that the gap in ages between Deliguin and the victim was a matter of several years.
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