College student took jobs to be around underage boys, feds say in NC child porn case
A 23-year-old North Carolina man posed as a woman online and solicited sexually explicit material from underage boys he knew while interning at a high school, federal prosecutors said Monday.
Building on previously announced charges, a grand jury stacked 21 counts of child pornography, enticement and cyberstalking against Frank Darrell Cromwell, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in western North Carolina said.
“This individual allegedly tried to gain access to children by obtaining employment in places where he could embed himself with underage boys, including a high school, a summer camp, a middle school and a behavioral healthcare facility,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray said in a statement.
Prosecutors say Cromwell was a student at Appalachian State University when he started targeting boys in early 2018 through his internship as an athletic trainer at Watauga High School.
Using social sites like Kik and Snapchat as well as an app that disguises the user’s phone number, Cromwell used 11 different users names to pose as women, prosecutors said.
He then asked the boys — some as young as 15 — to send him sexually explicit photos and videos, according to a criminal complaint. Cromwell also allegedly sent them videos of a woman performing sexual acts and claimed to be her.
“I urge parents to have a conversation with their children about the dangers of online communications and social media, where predators can use fake names and profiles to weave a heinous web of lies to lure young and innocent children,” Murray said in the statement.
Prosecutors said 10 victims have been identified since investigators raided Cromwell’s apartment in February.
Cromwell faces nine counts of producing child pornography; four counts of distribution and receipt of child pornography; three counts of enticing a minor; two counts of cyberstalking; one count of communicating threats; one count of advertising child pornography; and one count of possessing child pornography.
He could face life in prison if convicted of certain charges and a fine of up to $250,000 per count, prosecutors said. Court documents show he remains detained and was not issued bail.
Anyone with information or who believes themselves to be a victim is instructed to call the Boone Police Department at 828-268-6938.
This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 1:14 PM with the headline "College student took jobs to be around underage boys, feds say in NC child porn case."
