Officials say one teen victim in Indiana 'sextortion' case is from Oakland County

(WXYZ) - Federal officials say one of the young victims of an Indiana man accused of "sextortion" is from Oakland County.

Richard Leon Finkbiner has been charged with the sexual exploitation of children. He is accused of recording sexually explicit videos using a webcam and then telling his victims that if they did not follow his specific instructions, the videos would be released on the internet or forwarded to their friends.

Investigators say that on multiple occasions between November 2011 and February 2012 Finkbiner contacted both a 14-year-old boy from Oakland County and another 14-year-old from Maryland using an online video chat system.

Action News has learned that Finkbiner allegedly told the Oakland County teen that he was his "cam slave."

The federal complaint indicates that Finkbiner also told him, " It's simple if u do what ur told the vid will NEVER b seen by anyone but me if not it will be."

According to the federal court papers, Finkbiner also wrote the following to his alleged victim: "ill add your name and email so if anyone googles u they will see ur video. So u wanna play or b a famous gay porn star?"

Investigators say they have determined that Finkbiner first had contact with the victim from Oakland County in February 2012. He is accused of coercing the boy into performing sex acts on camera on two consecutive evenings. Investigators say it was at this point that the victim's family learned about what was going on and contacted police.

In the Maryland case, Finkbiner is accused of attempting a similar scheme, but the victim contacted police before any sexually explicit materials were produced.

“As a member of the law enforcement community, and more importantly as a parent, these are the types of cases that keep me up at night,” United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Joseph Hogsett said. “This defendant may not remember his alleged victims, but the true tragedy is that not one of them will ever forget him.”

Investigators say they are still developing the case, and it is possible that there are other victims out there.

“I urge anyone with information about this case to contact the federal authorities as we move forward with this investigation,” Hogsett added. “I pledge that this office will not rest in our efforts to work with investigators to identify any and all other potential victims resulting from these alleged actions.”

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Indianapolis Cybersquad Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigations at (877) 542-8979.

Finkbiner faces a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted on the current charges. He is due in court on April 11 for a detention hearing.