An Illinois man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to sexually exploit minors using the video game system Xbox Live.
Federal prosecutors in Boston say 32-year-old Zack Sawyer, of Georgetown, Illinois was also sentenced this week to 15 years of supervised released. He pleaded guilty in June to two counts of attempted sexual exploitation.
Prosecutors said that in May 2010, Sawyer contacted boys ages 12 and 13 from Hampshire County, Massachusetts, through the Xbox system and asked them to send him nude photographs. The two boys refused and prosecutors say Sawyer then threatened to rape and kill them, adding that he had a drug that would paralyze people.
