COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Perry County man pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually exploiting minors and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Clay Thomas Wolfe, 28, obtained child sexual abuse material from more than 250 victims through Snapchat since 2018, according to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker’s office.
His plea includes a recommended sentence of 18 to 23 years in prison.
According to Parker’s office, Wolfe pretended to be a 15-year-old girl on Snapchat to solicit materials from primarily middle school and high school-aged boys. His account also contained sexually explicit photos and videos of boys as young as 10 and 11 years old.
The victims lived in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Chillicothe and several other cities throughout the state.
An investigation was initiated in April 2022 when authorities in Pennsylvania learned a 6th-grade student was sharing a nude photo of a classmate that he reportedly received from Wolfe.
Wolfe used the name “Ally” on Snapchat and sent the victims explicit photos and videos of females that he found on various websites and social media accounts.
Parker’s office says Wolfe would extort the victims by threatening to send nude images of his victims to their friends and family unless they sent him additional photos.
Wolfe received a total of 850 images and 570 videos.
He was arrested and charged federally in June 2023.
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