Sextortionist Gets 44 Years in Prison after Targeting 11-Year-Old
While Sonny Dale Applegate was still on probation for child pornography, he was re-arrested for sexually exploiting an 11-year-old child using Snapchat. Photo courtesy of Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
After serving his sentence, Applegate will be on supervised release for the rest of his life. He will also pay $10,000 in restitution and be required to register as a sex offender.
In this most recent case, Applegate sextorted an 11-year-old child, coercing the child to send him sexually explicit photos and videos via Snapchat.
Applegate pled guilty to counts one, two and five of the five-count indictment while counts three and four were dismissed in a government-approved plea agreement, according to the court’s judgment.
Previous Conviction for Child Porn
A repeat offender, Applegate had a previous conviction for child pornography after being sentenced to only four years in prison, according to a DOJ press release. Most of that sentence was suspended to probation, which–unbelievably– gave him the opportunity to victimize the child in this case.
Finding a New Victim
From Aug. 1 to Sept. 12, 2022, Applegate engaged in explicit sexual chat with his victim, which included demands for the child to make and send explicit images, according to Applegate’s indictment.
Authorities discovered the current crime when Applegate’s probation officer found a hidden Samsung Galaxy phone during a routine probation visit, according to Applegate’s criminal complaint. Further forensic investigation revealed more than 600 images or videos of child sex abuse materials.
He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine in restitution, and he is required to register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school.
Supervise Children on Apps Like Snapchat
“Every family should know that social media apps like Snapchat are not safe spaces for young children and are often hunting grounds for predators who seek gratification from their exploitation,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
Sextortion has become one of the biggest problems and security issues regarding children and minors in the modern era. Check our guide on preventing sextortion for information on how to protect yourselves and your children.
Having conversations with children about what constitutes appropriate behavior on the Internet is one way you can help protect them.
You should also sensitize them to the fact that predators often use online aliases to hide their age, gender and true appearance. The teenage girl your son believes he is talking to might be a 40-year-old male sexual predator.
Cultivating relationships of trust so that your children report sextortion attempts is also important.
What to Do if You or a Loved One is Sextorted
Dealing with the after-effects of sextortion can be tough. Blocking and reporting would-be extortionists is the ideal first step in coping with sextortion attempts. Don’t delete messages but do report the incident to law enforcement. Most importantly, never pay a sextortionist– not even one dime. Doing so will only encourage them to further target and exploit you or your children.
In addition to calling local law enforcement, you can also contact the FBI hotline to report sextortion.
You can find out further tips in our resource article on Navigating Sextortion.
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