An Alabama resident has been sentenced to eight years in New York State prison for the sexual exploitation and trafficking of a Yates County minor. Yates County Court Judge Jason Cook handed down the sentence to Austin Pace on March 11th.
Authorities say the 25-year-old utilized social media and online chat apps to communicate with the Yates County victim and enter into an online sexual relationship. Investigators said Pace used force or intimidation to command his victim to engage in sexual activity and the creation of child pornography for his sexual gratification daily. During the investigation, multiple electronic devices were seized along with the contents of the social media accounts that contained videos and images.
He was indicted last May on 19 counts that included sex trafficking of a child, prostitution of a minor under 15, and coercion.
In addition to the prison sentence, Pace will serve 20 years of post-release supervision.
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