A New York City cop was arrested for allegedly coercing minors into sending him sexually explicit images and videos, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Carmine Simpson, 26, was brought in on charges for sexually exploiting children. The Holbrook resident was arraigned before the federal court on Jan. 28 and is being held without bail.
“Instead of protecting the community as a sworn police officer, the defendant has preyed upon and sexually exploited the most vulnerable members,” stated Acting United States Attorney Seth DuCharme. “The protection of innocent children is a priority for the Department of Justice and this Office will continue to make every effort to ensure that those who contribute to the victimization of children will be brought to justice.”
According to court documents, between April and December 2020 Simpson allegedly targeted children on Twitter and multiple other sites, such as Snapchat and Discord, for the purpose of having them send him exploitative photos and videos of themselves. Simpson would allegedly tell his victims that he was a 17-year-old and sent a photo of himself using a filter that altered his appearance to appear younger.
It is alleged that during that time, Simpson communicated with at least 46 minors between the ages of 13 and 17 years old. According to the criminal complaint, Simpson would allegedly tell the minors to take photos or videos of them masturbating and writing on themselves with marker afterward. Upon receiving the materials, Simpson would allegedly give them further instructions for new photos and videos in highly sexually charged conversations.
On Twitter alone, Simpson allegedly obtained at least 18 pornographic images and 33 videos containing sexually exploitative material from children. Simpson also allegedly obtained at least 162 photographic images and 48 videos containing child pornography.
If convicted, Simpson faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.
Simpson has been a cop since October 2018 and assigned to the 75th Precinct. He has been suspended from the force without pay as a result the arrest.
Updated at 4:33 p.m.
