Cops: Girl, 15, Sold Naked Pix, Videos Online

JANUARY 1--A Michigan girl who sold naked photos and videos of herself via the Internet will face child pornography charges for operating the illicit online business, police say.

The 15-year-old suspect peddled the images for more than a year, according to search warrant applications prepared by the Kent County Sheriff’s Department. The child conducted more than 20 transactions, for which she earned in excess of $1000.

The girl told family members that she had been “producing nude photographs herself and selling them to strangers on the Internet,” according to court filings. When relatives relayed that information to the girl’s mother, she contacted police.

In search warrant affidavits, Detective Matthew Batchelder reported that the teenager confessed to selling the images, while also providing law enforcement agents with details of how she advertised and carried out transactions.

Using her account on Kik, a messaging app, the girl wrote that she was “selling stuff.” In response to the post, “Men would then contact her and ask what she was selling. She would then tell them that she would send them nude pictures and videos for a price,” Batchelder reported.

The teenager said that while there was “no set price for each media file,” she would receive more money for videos (some of which showed her masturbating). The photos and videos did not show the girl’s face.

While the child stated that her “customers” knew she was underage, she “couldn’t elaborate how they knew,” noted Batchelder.

Search warrant documents include the e-mail addresses of four of the girl’s repeat customers, each of whom paid her via PayPal. In a note accompanying a $100 payment, a man wrote, “For you my sexy chocolate skinned honey xoxo.” A second customer sent the teenager $25 along with the note, “Hey gorgeous, I can’t wait to see them.”

During police interviews, the girl--who used the handle “YourFavoriteBunBun” on Kik--said she recorded upwards of 15 illicit videos in the two months prior to her being contacted by law enforcement officials.

As part of their investigation into the girl’s admitted sale of child pornography, police have served search warrants on Kik, Tumblr, and Google. The Tumblr warrant, which was sent to the firm last month, sought details on a blog that the girl may have used to house “sexually related media.”

At the conclusion of their investigation, police expect the girl to be charged with disseminating child pornography, a felony. The case will be handled by a lawyer in the county prosecutor’s juvenile division. (4 pages)