Ethan Diaz, 22, of New Jersey, has pleaded no contest to child abuse charges in a Florida court for selling sexually explicit videos of a 16-year-old girl on the adults-only website OnlyFans, NBC News reports.
He was sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years of supervised probation, according to court documents.
Diaz was arrested in April 2023 after authorities investigated reports of child sexual abuse material on OnlyFans. Investigators discovered that Diaz had met the girl online and enticed her to produce sexual content for his OnlyFans account. Over a three-month period, he posted dozens of videos and images of the girl on the platform and directed her to post sexually explicit material herself.
In April, Diaz flew to Florida, picked the girl up from her home, and was arrested at an Airbnb where authorities believe he filmed six additional sex videos with her. He was apprehended before he could post these videos on OnlyFans.
Diaz also pleaded no contest to charges of custodial interference and illegal use of a communication device.
This case highlights concerns about the potential for child exploitation on platforms like OnlyFans. While the company claims to vet all users and content, recent investigations have uncovered numerous instances of child abuse material appearing on the site.
Diaz’s plea deal comes as a result of an investigation by Reuters, which documented dozens of complaints in U.S. police and court records regarding child sexual abuse material on OnlyFans. The complaints cited over 200 explicit videos and images of children, including some depicting adults engaging in sexual activity with toddlers.
