Protecting Wyoming’s Children from Online Exploitation

Wyoming’s wide-open spaces give many of us a sense of safety and distance from the dangers faced in larger cities. But the digital world has erased those distances—especially for our children. That is why preventing online child exploitation is a top priority for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming, and why enforcement and prevention must go hand in hand.

The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood leads the national response to online child exploitation by coordinating federal, state, tribal, and local partners to investigate crimes, prosecute offenders, and identify victims.

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month and presents an opportunity to focus on crimes that increasingly begin online, including sextortion and exploitation that can lead to the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Although sextortion does not fall under the federal definition of human trafficking, which is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into

performing labor, services, or commercial sex acts against their will, predators use similar grooming tactics to build relationships and gain trust.

These crimes often start deceptively: a friendly message, a shared interest, a request to move a conversation to another app. An offender may pose as a peer, build trust, and then manipulate a child into sharing sexual images or videos.

The scope of the problem is growing. The FBI has reported a sharp rise in financially motivated sextortion targeting minors. Between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received more than 13,000 reports involving at least 12,600 victims. These are not abstract numbers—they represent real children and real families.

There are also hundreds of thousands of missing unaccompanied alien children who are vulnerable to labor and sex trafficking. Under the Biden Administration, there was a surge in the number of unaccompanied alien children crossing the southern border. In February 2025, the Department of Homeland Security and its federal and state partners launched a national child welfare initiative to locate and verify the safety of these at-risk kids. Agents have uncovered alarming instances of abuse and exploitation, including the production of CSAM.

Closer to home, recent Wyoming cases demonstrate how online exploitation unfolds and how reporting leads to accountability. In Riverton, Luke Everrett David was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography. DCI-ICAC received multiple CyberTip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children originating from the Kik platform. Through search warrants and forensic analysis, investigators linked hundreds of child sex abuse images and videos to David.

In another case, George Jared Peck of Greybull was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography and was ordered to pay restitution to victims. The bottom line is clear: offenders can be identified, and they will be held accountable.

Proactive enforcement can also stop harm before it escalates. Gabriel Estrada of Denver was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. He believed he was communicating online with a 13-year-old girl in Laramie. In reality, he was talking to an undercover agent. When Estrada drove to Wyoming to meet the child, he was arrested.

Enforcement matters—but prevention matters just as much. Many of these crimes rely on secrecy and fear. Families can reduce risk by talking early and often. Set clear expectations about online behavior. Explain, in plain language, that people online may not be who they claim to be, and that requests for sexual images are a serious warning sign. Encourage children to speak up immediately if something feels wrong.

If sextortion does occur, save messages, usernames, and screenshots. Report the account using the platform’s tools and contact law enforcement. Tips can be submitted to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or by

calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. FBI’s Safe Online Surfing program also provides resources to teacher and parents about how children can protect themselves online at https://sos.fbi.gov/en/.

Wyoming families should not face these threats alone. That is why our office is actively involved in the Wyoming Division of Victim Services Human Trafficking Task Force, which offer resources, training, and direct aid, focusing on victim recovery and survivor support through community outreach, education, and specialized kits, aiming to combat trafficking in all forms.

January’s focus on human trafficking prevention is a reminder that technology has changed how exploitation crimes occur—but early reporting, preserved evidence, and open conversations can make all the difference. Online threats can reach any community, including ours. When we report early and work together, we protect Wyoming’s children.