A Delaware County child pornography suspect used the popular video live streaming service Twitch to get more than 50 underage boys to expose themselves, investigators said.
Geoffrey Christopher Hines, 33, of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with sexual abuse of children through manufacturing and attempted manufacturing of child pornography, sexual abuse of children through possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility.
The investigation began in July of 2019 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) began receiving reports from the live streaming service Twitch interactive. Twitch is the world’s leading video platform for gamers and is also used for broadcasts of eSports competitions, music and live streaming events.
Twitch alerted the NCMEC to a user who communicated with more than 50 children, asking them to expose themselves and send him pictures of their genitals. Twitch also sent investigators videos containing sexually explicit content that had been created by the same user.
Investigators traced two IP addresses from the user to a home in Upper Darby. Police then identified Hines as the suspect.
Hines allegedly targeted boys between the ages of 9 and 12 living throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Police identified 10 of the more than 50 potential victims who said Hines lured them into exposing themselves by offering them gift cards, according to investigators.
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On Monday police obtained a search warrant for Hines’ home and executed the search the next day. When confronted by investigators, Hines allegedly admitted to using Twitch to communicate with boys. Hines told police he persuaded the victims to remove their clothes, show their genitals and in some cases perform sex acts via live streaming, investigators said.
Police obtained more than 25 videos from Hines’ home showing underage boys exposing themselves, according to investigators. Detectives also said they found hundreds of recordings from Hines’ home of underage boys being manipulated into taking off their clothes.
Hines is currently being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility on $500,000 cash bail. A date for a preliminary hearing has not yet been set.
“This arrest highlights the need for vigilance in connection with your child’s use of electronic devices,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.
“As a result of the coronavirus, children are spending more time than ever in their own 'virtual' worlds. While video gaming devices offer a welcome break from the tedium brought on by Covid-19, they also present an enormous challenge. Make sure you are having regular conversations with your children about how to use these devices appropriately.”
