Luxurious lifestyles, the roar of adoring fans, the glitz and the glamour- I’m sure at some point in time, everyone has wondered what it would be like to have the life of a famous pop star. Daydreaming and wishful thinking are harmless, but once you pose as a Pop Star in order to benefit yourself, it’s no longer child’s play.
A 31-year-old man, Christopher Gunn, of Montgomery, Alabama, hijacked the Pop Star, Justin Bieber’s fame in order to receive explicit photographs of young girls. In return, he promised free tickets and backstage passes to a Bieber concert.
Gunn used chat rooms and other social media websites, such as Facebook, in order to contact hundreds of young girls aged ranging from nine to 16 and located throughout the United States. He also posed as a “new kid in town,” and once he had gained the trust of these girls, he would share embarrassing and personal information about them if they did not provide him with nude photos.
On Thursday, the wannabe Justin Bieber pleaded guilty to child pornograph, and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck said Gunn’s plea included two counts of making child pornography, 15 counts of interstate extortion, and seven counts of internet stalking. The FBI retained a search warrant and seized a laptop computer and a cellular phone, both of which contained videos and images of child pornography.
Based on Christopher Gunn’s plea, he will be facing a minimum of 25 years in a federal prison and could be on supervised release for the remainder of his life. Police are working with the victims and their families and identifying new victims in several states.
If you are a victim of an internet crime or child endangerment, do not hesitate to seek the counsel of an experienced lawyer; everyone deserves to feel safe.