United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of DYLAN MATTHEW DELING, a/k/a “Jason Keens,” a/k/a “Dylan Nash,” 20, to one count of production of child pornography and one count of extortion. DELING entered his guilty plea today before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“Young people are faced with online threats and abuse unlike ever before. Sadly, law enforcement is seeing an increase in these types of cases– the sly tactics, the coercion, the threats, are all tools employed by online predators such as Mr. Deling,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “Our stance is aggressive when it comes to the investigation and prosecution of these cases and we will remain proactive in our efforts to build awareness around the issue of sextortion.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, between October 2017 and August 2, 2018, DELING used multiple social media and chat platforms, including Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Kik, and Skype, as well as text messages to carry out his sextortion scheme. Sextortion is the act of extorting sexually explicit images and videos from a victim by threatening to reveal a victim’s sexually explicit chats, images, or videos, or through threats of harm to the victim or the victim’s loved ones. In the course of his scheme, DELING sextorted more than 40 minor girls whom he knew to be or believed were between 11 and 17 years old.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, DELING, using multiple usernames and accounts, employed several different techniques to attempt to and to obtain child pornography from minor girls. One technique DELING used was offering compliments and expressions of affection to the minor girls to persuade them into creating sexually explicit images of themselves. In many instances, DELING threatened to and actually did disseminate sexually explicit images of the girls to their friends and family if the girls refused to provide him with sexually explicit images. In other instances, DELING threatened to send his associates to rape, kidnap, injure, or kill the girls or their loved ones. To underscore his threats, DELING sent screenshots of maps of the girls’ residences, family members’ contact information, and other identifying information to the girls, as well as posting the information online. In at least one instance, DELING obtained sexually explicit images through a friend of one of the girls.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, in coordination with multiple state and local law enforcement agencies inside and outside of Minnesota.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E Dugi.

 

Defendant Information:

DYLAN MATTHEW DELING, a/k/a “Jason Keens,” a/k/a “Dylan Nash,” 20

Fairmont, Minn.

Convicted:

Production of child pornography, 1 count

Interstate communication with intent to extort, 1 count

 

 

###

 

Additional news available on our website.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the indictment of DYLAN MATTHEW DELING, a/k/a “Jason Keens,” a/k/a “Dylan Nash,” 19, on child pornography and extortion charges. DELING made his initial appearance yesterday before Magistrate Judge Katherine Menendez, in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“As the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, sextortion crimes are becoming more prevalent through the use of social media platforms and messaging apps,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “These types of cases cause very real harm and can have a devastating impact, especially on young victims. Teachers, parents, and students alike need to be aware of this issue, know how to defend against online predators, and be vigilant in reporting these crimes.”

According to the allegations in the indictment, on May 14, 2018, DELING, a registered sex offender, persuaded, induced, and coerced a minor victim (Minor A) to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. On July 8, 2018, DELING contacted a second minor victim (Minor B) and threatened to kidnap and injure the victim and her parents if she did not provide DELING with sexually explicit images.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, in coordination with multiple state and local law enforcement agencies inside and outside of Minnesota.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E Dugi.

 

Defendant Information:

DYLAN MATTHEW DELING, a/k/a “Jason Keens,” a/k/a “Dylan Nash,” 19

Fairmont, Minn.

Charges:

Production and attempted production of child pornography, 1 count

Penalties for registered sex offenders, 1 count

Interstate commination with intent to extort, 1 count

 

 

 

###

 

Additional news available on our website.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

 

 



The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.