22-year-old gets over 17 years for distributing child pornography in cyber-bullying case

In a chilling case highlighting the dangers of online harassment and the weaponization of social media, Lorenzo Arana was sentenced to 210 months in prison for the distribution of child pornography. 

Arana’s malicious actions included circulating explicit videos of a 12-year-old girl on various social media platforms.

U.S. District Judge Gary R. Brown handed down the sentence in Central Islip after Arana pleaded guilty to the charge in November 2022. The announcement came from Breon Peace, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ivan J. Arvelo, the special agent-in-charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New York (HSI).

U.S. Attorney Peace remarked on the severity and cruelty of the crime, noting the profound impact on vulnerable minors and urging parents to educate their children about the potential dangers of online communication. 

“Today’s sentence brings justice to a vulnerable young girl and many others like her throughout the country who were terrorized and harmed by the defendant’s weaponization of social media to target them for undeserved cruelty, vulgarity and abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Peace. 

“It will always be a priority of this office to protect children and hold online predators accountable for their actions,” Peace continued. “My message to parents and caregivers is please talk to your children about the dangers of communicating online with strangers who may exploit them and to seek help from a trusted adult if they are being threatened.”

Known online by the alias “Lorenzo Blake,” Arana had a notorious history of using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube to target, harass and exploit underage girls. 

In several instances, Arana blackmailed the minors with compromising material…