Suffolk Man Sentenced For Sexually Exploiting Children In A “Catfish” Scheme
Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 12:00 P.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
NORFOLK, VA.- A 42-year-old Suffolk, Virginia, man, and child predator will be spending the next two-and-half decades in federal prison after being sentenced on Tuesday for sexually exploiting over thirty-five teenage boys during an over five-year online scheme for his own sexual gratification.
According to U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Gary Owens, Jr, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison for his convictions of Sexual Exploitation of Children.
According To Charging Information Filed With The District Court
According to charging documents filed with the District Court, Owens engaged in a scheme to “catfish” teenage boys. Using digital images of a real adult woman, including sexually explicit images. During the scheme, Owens pretended to be a minor female named “Jessica Lincoln” on Instagram before enticing the teenage boy to Kik to obtain sexually explicit digital images and video files from them.
During the scheme, Owens exploited children over at least a five-year period, beginning in 2019 and lasting through 2023, and amassed a collection of over 1,800 digital images and video files of child pornography. During the investigation and following being identified, law enforcement investigators were able to identify at least 35 child victims in 2022 alone in his scheme.
