South Carolina – A 22-year-old man from Ohio has confessed to running a large online operation that targeted minors across multiple states, including South Carolina. He used social media to stalk, threaten, and se*ually exploit his victims. Court records show that the behavior went on for more than two years and involved deception, manipulation, and repeated intimidation.
Jack Keegan Davis pleaded guilty to federal charges that include cyberstalking, coercion and enticement of a minor, and the receipt and distribution of child se*ual abuse material, the Department of Justice said in a news release.
Prosecutors said Davis made a lot of internet profiles that made minors think they were talking to someone their own age.
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He used almost 130 different display names on sites like Snapchat, Instagram, Wizz, and Discord between August 2022 and October 2024, all while pretending to be a minor.
Davis used these accounts to talk to minors and force them to send him se*ually explicit photos and videos. Investigators said he used the confidence he created through these fake personas to get minors to engage in se*ual conduct online.
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Davis did not keep the se*ual material hidden once he had it. Instead, he sent the pictures to other people on the internet, including other minors and, in at least one case, classmates of the victim.
Court records say that one victim thought they were in a romantic connection with Davis. When that minor tried to get away, things became worse.
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Prosecutors said Davis harassed, stalked, and threatened not only the victim but also the victim’s family over and over again. Even after Davis was given a restraining order, this behavior continued.
Davis repeatedly threatened to kill the minor and their family by direct message and through public posts, including: “Im going to kill [the minor] and [the minor’s] family,” “[Minor Victim] ur ded,” “Im going to f***ing kill [the minor],” “I am not kidding I am going to kill [the minor] and [the minor’s] family,” “If [the minor] doesn’t answer me I’m going to [the minor’s] house,” and “I won’t stop until you’re dead.”
Prosecutors also said that Davis posted the minor’s home address online and that he knew when the victim’s father would be out of town for work. He also sent further messages in which he said, “revenge if it’s the last thing I do,” and “lol I just want [the minor] to suffer.” Authorities have found other minor victims connected to Davis’s actions, and they are in more than one state, including at least one victim in South Carolina.
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Federal prosecutors stressed that the case shows how social media may be used to target children when criminals hide behind fake identities. Court records demonstrate that Davis leveraged the size and anonymity of internet platforms on purpose to contact more people.
He did this by switching between dozens of fake personas to avoid getting caught and keep access to victims. Investigators added that the number of accounts he had made it easy for him to show up again rapidly, even when profiles were reported or blocked.
Authorities also talked about the mental damage done to the victims, saying that Davis’s behavior went beyond just manipulating people online. He made victims and their families afraid by sending them explicit material and making threats over and over again.
Prosecutors stated that the threats and the publication of a victim’s home address showed a clear pattern of intimidation meant to keep minors from ending contact.
Because the crimes happened in more than one state, more than one agency was involved in the investigation. The FBI’s Columbia Field Office cooperated with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in Ohio and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department in South Carolina to find digital evidence, identify victims, and protect the communications that were utilized to support the charges. Officials stressed that federal and local agencies needed to work together to stop abuse.
Davis must spend at least 10 years in federal prison, and he could get a life sentence. He also faces a possible fine of up to $250,000, restitution to victims, and supervision by the U.S. Probation Office following any prison term. He will have to register as a se* offender when he gets out of prison.
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U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson accepted Davis’s guilty plea. He will give Davis a sentence after reading a report from the U.S. Probation Office that was written before the punishment.
The report will include information on the crimes, the number of victims, and the long-term damage Davis’s actions caused, all of which will be taken into account when he is sentenced, according to federal prosecutors.
