Digital Exploitation: Austin Man Gets 24 Years
Tre Von Lamount Harris used fake female profiles to blackmail teenage boys into sending explicit images, a scheme that continued even after his first arrest.
By Yasmin Farouk ·
A federal judge in Texas has sentenced a 21-year-old man to more than 24 years in prison for sexually exploiting minor boys online.
The sentence was handed down to Tre Von Lamount Harris, who used social media platforms and Cash App to target victims. Court records indicate Harris began this scheme when he was 16 years old. He created a false identity as a teenage girl named Michelle. This persona appeared on Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. He also used a second alias, Karla, during a separate incident in 2022.
Harris contacted the victims using explicit language to describe the visual depictions he required. The boys produced the child sexual abuse material themselves and sent the files to Harris through their social media accounts. After receiving the images, Harris threatened to post the content online or send it to the victims' families and friends. He followed through on these threats in several cases. Victims were coerced into paying him money to stop the distribution.
The first wave of legal action occurred in May 2022. The Travis County Sheriff's Office arrested Harris on two counts of sexual assault and one count of publishing invasive visual recordings. A judge released him on a $5,000 cash bond. The court removed a GPS monitoring condition and allowed him to continue attending high school. The federal case began in December 2022 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received multiple tips. Social media providers and private citizens reported suspicious activity linked to Harris's usernames.
The FBI took over the investigation in May 2023. Agents interviewed multiple victims to establish the scope of the exploitation. Harris was arrested on federal charges on May 21, 2024. Officers took him into custody at his high school. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Devlin prosecuted the case. The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat internet exploitation of children.
U.S. Attorney Simmons stated that Harris will spend more than a decade behind bars for hiding behind a fake profile to humiliate and exploit teenage boys. Simmons noted that Harris continued the scheme even after his initial arrest. The official emphasized the importance of parents staying involved in their children's online activities. FBI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Daniel Faith said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the harm inflicted on the victims. Faith added that the case sends a message to offenders who use internet anonymity to prey on children. The case concluded with Harris's sentencing, ensuring he is held accountable for the financial and emotional damage caused to the victims.
