New York Man Charged With Coercing Michigan Teens Into Child Porn

DETROIT (WWJ) - A New York man has been charged after allegedly persuading dozens of young girls — some of them from Michigan — into appearing in child pornography.

William T. Phillips faces a laundry list of charges, including producing, attempting to produce and conspiracy to produce child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor and participating in a child pornography enterprise.

The FBI said Phillips had been working with a group of men who all pretended to be teenage boys in order to coerce underage girls into appearing nude and engaging in sexual activity on webcams. The video would then be recorded and shared.

According to a criminal complaint, police arresting Phillips found him on a bed with his laptop computer; internet browser windows open to chat room sites where the alleged crimes took place. On the same computer, investigators also found multiple child porn videos and images, according to the FBI.

Investigators were able to identify over 50 young women in videos online, including at least six from Michigan. All of the victims are between 14 and 18 years old.