INDIANAPOLIS - Jacob Glenn, 26, of Cicero, Indiana, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of a child.According to court documents, Jacob Glenn used Snapchat to communicate with girls between 13- and 15-years-old, falsely claiming to be a teen boy and offering to purchase nicotine or vape pens in exchange for sex. Glenn’s Snapchat username, “theplugfogshyde” was intended to indicate that he could obtain vape pens for others he met online.On two occasions in 2021, Glenn coerced and enticed a girl between 12- and 15-years-old, to sneak out of her home after midnight to get vapes from him, including on Christmas Eve. Glenn picked the child up and drove her to a nearby truck stop where he told her that he would not accept cash for the vapes. Instead, Glenn stated that they could work out a “deal” where she could pay him with sex. Glenn picked up the same child again on January 17, 2022, and coerced and enticed her to engage in sex acts in exchange for vape pens. He used his phone to record the sexual conduct he engaged in with the child and instructed her to not tell anyone about his abuse. Glenn later used Snapchat to send a copy of the child sexual abuse video to two other minor girls.Glenn engaged in a similar course of criminal conduct with another minor girl he met on Snapchat between December 2021 and January 2022. The second victim was less than 14-years-old. On January 9, 2022, after a conversation via Snapchat, Glenn picked the second victim up near her home, drove her to a nearby truck stop, and engaged in sexual conduct in exchange for vape pens. Glenn also attempted to convince a child who was a friend of the second victim to engage in sex in exchange for vapes, but they did not meet in person.

Image of a smartphone with social media icons, including Snapchat; image via Pxhere, CC0.

A law enforcement review of Glenn’s Snapchat account found conversations between Glenn and multiple other girls between thirteen and fifteen years old. In some of these conversations, Glenn offered nicotine or alcohol in exchange for sex or nude images.Glenn has a history of engaging in unlawful sex acts with children. In October 2020, Glenn engaged in sex with a girl who was between 14- and 15-years-old. Glenn was 23-years-old at the time. On October 19, 2020, Glenn was arrested and charged in Madison County for crimes related to this abuse. Glenn admitted to law enforcement that he engaged in sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl on multiple occasions, and that he knew her true age during at least some of the time he was engaging in sex acts with the child. Glenn was out on bond for these charges at the time he exploited the two children in December 2021 and January 2022.“These heinous crimes are one of a family’s worst nightmares. The sad truth is that applications like Snapchat not always safe spaces, they are often hunting grounds for predators who seek gratification from their sexual abuse of our children,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana “The federal prison sentence imposed here ensures that the public will be protected from this criminal for decades to come. Other online predators should take notice that the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the FBI, IMPD, and our federal prosecutors, will work tirelessly to hold them accountable and make our children safer from abuse.”The FBI and IMPD investigated this case with valuable assistance provided by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department and the Chesterfield Police Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon. Judge Hanlon also ordered that Glenn be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for life following his release from federal prison.U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Sawa, who prosecuted this case.This investigation was conducted by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a multi-agency task force led by the Indiana State Police, charged with the prevention, interdiction, investigation, and prosecution of individuals who use the Internet to exploit children. The Indiana ICAC seeks to combat crimes against children through the Internet by vigorously investigating and prosecuting offenders. The task force aims to educate children and parents on Internet safety and responsibility through community outreach. Each year, Indiana ICAC investigators evaluate thousands of tips, investigate hundreds of cases, and rescue dozens of children from ongoing sexual abuse. Visit https://www.in.gov/isp/icactf/ to learn more about their efforts.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.