Man Arrested For Using Discord to Abuse Minors
Alex Michael Sellers, 25, was arrested on Thursday and charged with 16 Counts of obscene communication, 16 Counts of distributing obscene material, and 32 counts of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) Deputy Josh Dawson found Sellers had been exchanging nude pictures with several minors on Discord.
Discord is an instant messaging app that’s advertised for talking or playing video games with friends. In March 2022, CNN reported hearing from nearly a dozen parents that their children had been victims of sexual predators on Discord.
Dawson was given the case from Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Detective Donna Montague of the Internet Crimes Against Children Division (ICAC) because Sellers' IP address was in Dawson's jurisdiction.
Dawson received a cyber tip relayed from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that accurately described Dawson’s abuse.
Sellers told Dawson he used Discord to “talk with friends,” and admitted to sending nudes to strangers but denied sending nudes to minors. Dawson would later attempt to bring the subject up again but Sellers claimed not to recall it.
Sellers’ bond is set at $910,000.
