INDIANAPOLIS — A Colorado man was sentenced to 84 years in federal prison for a child exploitation case that spans multiple states and at least five other countries, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
84 victims were identified in total, and investigators believe there may be more.
Austin Ryan Lauless, 31, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, five counts of sex trafficking a minor, two counts of advertising child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said between late 2018 and May 19, 2023, Lauless sex trafficked at least five minors. He also used social media to coerce, exploit and threaten at least 84 victims into taking thousands of sexually explicit pictures and videos.
Lauless would pose as "Cason Fredrickson," a teenager from New York and other cities, expressing romantic interest in victims, telling them they were attractive and pretending to be in online relationships with them.
In reality, Lauless was in his mid-20s, unemployed, living out of hotels and motels in Texas and Colorado.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Lauless used voice modulators and third-party image and video applications to edit photos or videos that made it appear to victims as though he made contact with them through live recordings on social media apps like Snapchat. Lauless would buy victims fishnet stockings, sexual devices and customized T-shirts that he would tell victims to wear in sexually explicit photos and videos, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
These victims that have been identified between 13 to 17 years old during late 2018 and May 19, 2023.
If you or someone you know may have been a victim of Lauless, call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or report it online here.
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