PORTLAND, Pray. – A Beaverton man faces federal child exploitation charges, accused of using social media apps to stalk and sexually exploit a 9-year-old girl in Australia.
According to the United States Attorney for the Oregon District, Jorge Rosales, 25, has been charged with sexually exploiting children, distributing and possessing child pornography, cyberbullying and seducing a minor online.
The case was first referred to the Pacific Northwest Division of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) earlier this month by INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization and the Australian Federal Police.
According to court documents, Australian authorities said the suspect first contacted the victim in 2016 or 2017 through the Musical.ly app, an initial version of what is now TikTok.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, the suspect had “progressively more sexually explicit conversations” with the victim even after she told him her age. Authorities also said Rosales sent sexually explicit photos and videos demonstrating various sexual acts, including child pornography.
Rosales is accused of forcing the victim to send him intimate photos through threats. Authorities said there was at least one case in which he allegedly sent her photos of attacked animals.
The abuse continued through the Snapchat app, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
The victim blocked the suspect on all social media apps. However, authorities said that did not stop Rosales from creating dozens of new accounts to continue the abuse, including contacting friends of the victim through TikTok.
Evidence collected by Australian investigators concluded that Rosales was using his mobile phone and living in Beaverton.
Rosales was arrested Wednesday, April 21, and appeared in court for the first time in federal court on Thursday. Rosales is still in custody.
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