A New York City police officer was arrested Thursday on federal charges after prosecutors say he posed as a teenager online to obtain sexually explicit images and videos from minors, NBC News reports.
According to NBC News, the officer, Carmine Simpson, 26, of Holbrook, New York, is accused of targeting “vulnerable children” between the ages of 13 and 17 on Twitter, acting U.S. Attorney Seth DuCharme said in a statement.
Court documents allege that Simpson used altered photos of himself to appear younger than he is. Authorities say he obtained at least 18 images and 33 videos from at least 46 minors over a period of about nine months.
DuCharme said the officer betrayed his oath to protect the community. Simpson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. His attorney, Todd Greenberg, did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Friday.
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