A Corona resident who was arrested days before traveling to see a 13-year-old girl in Oklahoma was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for trying to convince young girls to engage in sexual performances via an online “game,” prosecutors said.
According to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, 24-year-old Jorel Fowler, who is also known as Jorel Fower, was sentenced Wednesday on two counts of use of child in a sexual performance — which he plead guilty to in July.
The investigation into Fowler’s actions began in March 2013 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip from the mother of a then-13-year-old, who Fowler was communicating with online and through text messages, Brown said.
The mother reported both via the CyberTip and to local police that Fowler was communicating with her daughter for over two years and had sent naked pictures, requesting that the girl send him naked pictures of herself, and was trying to convince her to meet him at a hotel to have sex, according to authorities.
In February 2014, police went to Fowler’s Corona home and with his permission removed his Asus laptop computer and an iPhone 5, prosecutors said. Fowler was arrested the following month after the discovery of seven videos on his laptop’s hard drive titled “Sarah,” “Tiffany & Britney,” “Katelyn,” “Julia,” “Gabrielle,” “Ashley” and “Alex.”
According to prosecutors, the videos were recorded by Fowler during video chat sessions on the social media website Omegle and included text and video conversations between him and various teenagers younger than 16 years old playing “The Game” — an online program Fowler created.
During “The Game,” Fowler would award the girls with points for performing various activities, including sexual acts upon his request, authorities said. Forensic examination revealed that Fowler had downloaded and saved 32 images of naked young girls with their genitals exposed to the camera.
“The facts of this case are deplorable. The defendant took advantage of young girls, manipulating them into playing a vile game and recording it for his sexual gratification,” Brown said. “This is the reason why we repeatedly urge parents to communicate with their children about their use of the Internet and to monitor their children’s online activities — always. There are sexual predators lurking online just waiting for an opportunity.”
Brown added that Fowler had made arrangements to go to Altus, Oklahoma between March 16 through 23, 2014, to meet with the Oklahoma teen. Unbeknownst to both the girl’s mother and law enforcement, the young girl continued to have contact with Fowler even after her mother first reported finding his photo.
During Wednesday’s sentencing, a statement from the victim’s mother was read that said while Fowler “may not have physically touched my daughter…you have taken her innocence away. You are deserving of the punishment to the fullest.”
Fowler will now serve 5 to 15 years for each indictment, but sentences will run concurrently. Upon his release, he will also have to register as a sex offender.
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