'Prolific sextortionist' in Georgia gets 40 years in prison for harming 150 girls

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A Georgia man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for coercing more than 100 girls to send him sexually explicit photos and videos.

Benjamin Jenkins, 25, also faces a lifetime of supervision after his eventual release, according to the U.S. Justice Department, which described him as a “prolific sextornist” in announcing Tuesday's sentence.

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Jenkins was convicted in January of nine counts of producing child pornography and three counts of distributing child pornography, but the press release said Jenkins persuaded as many as 150 girls to send him sexually suggestive images of themselves.

Benjamin Jenkins (Cobb County Sherriff's Office)

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Jenkins contacted girls between 13 and 16 years old using different aliases and profiles beginning in 2015, it said. He would get some images, then extort the girls into sending him more by threatening to share them online or with their families, prosecutors said.

He even used a countdown clock, telling the girls that if they didn't send the images more quickly, or if they blocked him, he would post their contact information online, the release said.

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“Jenkins exploited as many as 150 girls for his perverse satisfaction, causing unbelievable trauma to these children and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “The sheer degradation and depravity that Jenkins forced his victims to endure is unimaginable. This sentence will hopefully help these courageous victims and their families heal.”