Silent Threat: Online Solicitation of Children for Sex in North Carolina

The recent bust of what authorities are calling the "largest child predator sting in Mooresville Police history" has sent shockwaves through Iredell County and across the state. The arrest of 14 child predators underscores a disturbing trend across the state: child exploitation is a silent epidemic lurking in the shadows of even the most unsuspecting neighborhoods. 

With the details of this operation coming out, we need to shed light on how pervasive this crime is and what lawmakers are doing to confront the problem.

In the recent Mooresville bust, the suspects ranged in age from 25 to 78 and were from as far away as Virginia. These men were meeting children for sexual activity aged 13 to 15 years old, authorities said.

The accused predators contacted minors through online platforms. Those include ChatApp, Discord, DoubleList, Facebook, FetLife, Grindr, Mega Personal Ad, Skip the Games, and Sniffies.

A few days before the Mooresville bust, in neighboring Union County,  sheriffs arrested two men who also used social media to solicit children for sex.   They used a variety of apps to communicate with children, including Kik, Snapchat, and WhatsApp.

Authorities warn that predators can be DoorDashing food to kids at school functions or homes. They can offer to make in-app purchases or buy music downloads for kids.

These are all activities children use beyond the watchful eye of parents. 

A Growing Threat

The State Bureau of Investigation reported a 589% increase in cyber tips for child sex crimes between 2019 and 2024.

The number of registered sex offenders living in North Carolina has also jumped 70% over the past three years.   In 2020, data showed that for every 100K people living in North Carolina, roughly 180 of them are sex offenders, according to safehome.org. In 2023, that number increased to 259 per 100K people. 

Roundup of Recent NC Child Predator Stings:

• Randolph County: 19 people were arrested as part of Operation Child Predator, which involved several law enforcement agencies. Prominent business owners, a former fire chief, and a school employee were all arrested. The suspects were arranging sex with children as young as nine years old.

• Wake County: Police in Wake Forest arrested 6 men as part of an undercover sting operation targeting predators and human traffickers.

• Burke County: During Operation Heart Breaker, 8 men were busted for either sex crimes against children or violating laws requiring sex offender registration. 

• Alamance County: The Sheriff's Office launched a multi-stage sting last year. Deputies arrested 3 men for possessing child sexual abuse material and 2 others for solicitation of prostitution. 

Computer solicitation of children in North Carolina is a Class H felony punishable by up to 39 months in prison. However, if the defendant meets the child, it's a Class G felony, punishable by up to 47 months in prison.

Those convicted of solicitation of a child by computer will be required to register as a sex offender for up to 10 years.

Spot The Signs

Here are 5 red flags on child sexual abuse material and examples of how predators often operate to abuse children:

1. Targeting the child. Online chats, social media, and online games are all places where predators target children. Child predators might message a child directly or comment on their social media posts. 

2. Gaining the trust of the child. Online predators often claim to be younger than they are. They may portray an older persona and ask personal questions about the child's parents, teachers, friends, and other adults. As soon as a predator gains access to a child's personal information, they attempt to create a barrier between them and their network of trusted adults to isolate them and trust them.

3. Gifts and rewards. Online platforms allow predators to give children gifts and rewards to engage the children. When predators target children in online gaming, gift cards may appear innocent since they cannot purchase items on their own. 

4. Sexualizing the relationship. Online predators may initiate conversations that become increasingly sexual. Predators may also request sexually explicit images and/or videos of the child and engage in sexually explicit conversations over direct messaging or by requesting the child's phone number.

5. Maintaining Control. A predator tries to maintain control and power over a child. To accomplish this, they monopolize the child's time and force them to send sexually explicit messages, videos, and photos. An innocent online interaction with the child can turn into an abusive and controlling relationship.

Legislative Action: The Modernizing Sex Crimes Act Targets AI-Enabled Child Exploitation and Enhances Parental Protections

It has become almost conventional for predators to target children through social media apps and video games. 

Experts and researchers have raised alarms about a new threat: AI, which can generate text and images based on prompts, worsening the online exploitation of children.

Last year, a child psychiatrist from Charlotte was sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor and for using artificial intelligence (AI) to create child pornography images of minors. Federal prosecutors said Dr. David Tatum  engaged in the “depraved practice of using secret recordings of his victims to create illicit images and videos of them.” 

The General Assembly is now considering a bill addressing this growing problem. The Modernizing Sex Crimes Act will make it illegal to create obscene pictures of a child using AI for extortion. Also, the offense of soliciting a child by computer will be expanded to include communications with their parents.

This bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Ted Davis in the House during the last session and passed with bipartisan support.

For more information about cyber child exploitation, visit RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.