High school senior facing more than 300 felony charges in alleged sextortion scheme target

High school senior facing more than 300 felony charges in alleged sextortion scheme targeting minors: reports


Zachariah Abraham Meyers, 18, allegedly targeted underage victims through schemes using fake social media profiles
\

A Pennsylvania high school senior is facing hundreds of felony charges after authorities reportedly accused him of operating a "large-scale criminal network" involving sextortion and catfishing.

Zachariah Abraham Meyers, 18, of McMurray — about 15 miles southwest of Pittsburgh — was arrested Friday and charged with more than 300 felonies, including trafficking in minors, sexual extortion, unlawful contact with a minor, distribution of child sexual abuse material, among other offenses, according to a court docket obtained by Fox News Digital.

Police allege Meyers, a senior at Peters Township High School, used social media platforms, including TikTok and Snapchat, to lure the victims into communicating with him, according to local outlets WTAE and WPXI.

Investigators interviewed 30 underage boys during the probe and identified at least 21 victims, WPXI reported.

Authorities say Meyers used photos of other people to catfish the victims. One of the alleged false identities included was that of an adult film actress from another country, according to WTAE and WPXI.

"Meyers was able to deceive and coerce juvenile males into sending explicit pornographic images and videos of themselves," authorities said.

LINK