HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that two Lancaster County teenagers have admitted in juvenile court to numerous charges for manufacturing child sexual abuse material.
The two juveniles, 16-year-old males, admitted Thursday in Lancaster County Court to 59 felony counts of sexual abuse of children (manufacturing child sexual abuse material), conspiracy to commit that offense, and obscene material or other sexual performance, a misdemeanor.
Lancaster County President Judge Leonard G. Brown III adjudicated both boys delinquent. Disposition (sentencing in juvenile court matters) is scheduled for March 25.
The juveniles manipulated photos they found online — mainly via Instagram — “morphing” the images to make those depicted in the images appear nude. Some of the victims were the juveniles’ classmates.
“This case exemplifies the dark side of modern technology and social media,” Attorney General Sunday said. “The conduct involved a weaponization of technology to victimize unsuspecting children who had photos online. It goes without saying that the impact on the victims is nothing short of devastation.”
Juvenile court matters are typically closed; however, Thursday’s proceeding was open to the public as it involved admissions to charges that would be felonies in adult court settings.
Morphed images are defined as images created by combining an image of a child with a virtual image or adult image depicting nudity or sexual activity.
Local police filed charges, and the case was referred to the Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Section for prosecution.
The cases are being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Janie Swinehart.
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