A federal jury in Brooklyn has convicted Billon McLeod of all seven counts related to the sexual exploitation and attempted exploitation of minors, as well as coercion and enticement. The verdict followed a three-day trial before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack. McLeod faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, with the possibility of up to life imprisonment.
The announcement was made by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI’s New York Field Office.
“The defendant is a serial predator whose playbook of using social media to meet vulnerable minor girls, and then groom and exploit them for his own sexual gratification, is a parent’s nightmare,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Because his victims bravely testified at trial, he will now be held accountable for his serious crimes, and today’s verdict will prevent him from victimizing other minors while he serves a lengthy prison sentence.”
According to evidence presented at trial, between July 2024 and February 2025, McLeod used Snapchat and text messages to communicate with four minor females while he was an adult. Three of these victims were enticed into sexual activity; one was subjected to an attempt at online sexual exploitation. The victims were between 12 and 16 years old. In some cases, McLeod misrepresented his age by pretending to be a teenager. He established trust through grooming tactics such as expressing affection and desire to meet the victims.
McLeod sent sexually explicit messages and encouraged explicit conversations with the minors. He persuaded several victims via text message and Facetime calls to travel to an apartment in Brooklyn where they engaged in sexual activity with him—some encounters were recorded on his cell phone without their consent. Additionally, he used digital communication platforms to entice one minor—and attempted with another—to create and send him sexually explicit content.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia commented: “Billon McLeod targeted minor girls on social media to coerce them into engaging in explicit conversations and sexual acts. By concealing his true age and manipulating their emotions, McLeod gained the victims’ trust before subjecting them to unthinkable abuse and exploiting the innocence of four young girls. May today’s verdict reflect the FBI’s stout determination to protect vulnerable children from all online sexual predators.”
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative started in May 2006 that coordinates federal, state, and local efforts against child exploitation online.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly Delaney and Daniel J. Marcus from the General Crimes Section with support from Paralegal Specialist Marlane Bosler.
Billon McLeod is 31 years old and resides in Brooklyn, New York.
