James Styner, a 20-year-old resident of Garden Grove, California, was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., after admitting to the online exploitation of at least twelve girls aged between 12 and 17. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Styner pleaded guilty on March 28, 2025, before Judge Beryl A. Howell to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography, and three counts of receipt of child pornography. In addition to his prison sentence, he will serve seven years of supervised release.
“No man will be allowed to exploit, harm and victimize children under my watch,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “They will be hunted down, prosecuted and then face the full weight of justice. Whether you are behind a screen or behind closed doors—we will find you and convict you.”
Court documents state that Styner began his activities at age 17 and continued until his arrest at age 19. He engaged in approximately 45 chat conversations over Discord where he demanded sexually explicit material from underage girls across the United States, including the District of Columbia.
The investigation revealed that Styner also had in-person sexual relationships with at least two minors and distributed explicit images—including self-produced child pornography—to others, some of whom were also minors.
As part of his plea agreement, Styner admitted involvement with twelve identified minor victims and acknowledged similar conduct with other unidentified individuals.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department-Federal Bureau of Investigation (MPD-FBI) Child Exploitation Task Force with support from the West Covina Police Department in California and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Janani Iyengar and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Bond prosecuted the case for the District of Columbia.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated federal, state, and local efforts to identify offenders and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
