On Thursday, a New York City cop was arrested after prosecutors say he allegedly posed as a 17-year-old on social media to solicit sexually explicit pictures and videos from at least 46 minors.
NBC News reports that the 26-year-old officer, Carmine Simpson, of Holbrook, New York, specifically targeted “vulnerable children” between the ages of 13 and 17 on Twitter and often requested pornographic content from them, acting U.S. Attorney Seth DuCharme said in a statement.
Court documents allege that Simpson sent photos of himself that were filtered to appear younger than his actual age. Prosecutors said he also sent explicitly lewd requests to girls, instructing them to write obscene phrases or his name in marker on their bodies.
In one case, Simpson allegedly asked a 15-year-old girl to use a belt to choke herself. Authorities said he was able to obtain at least 18 images and 33 explicit videos that contained sexually exploitative material from the teens over a nine-month period.
“Instead of protecting the community as a sworn police officer, the defendant has preyed upon and sexually exploited the most vulnerable members,” Seth DuCharme said.
Simpson’s attorney, Todd Greenberg, did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Friday.
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