Lowell sex offender sentenced for sexually extorting Vermont 11-year-old via Snapchat

A judge sentenced a 25-year-old Lowell man to 17 years in prison Wednesday for sexually extorting an 11-year-old Vermont girl.

The defendant, Chayanne Nieves, was already registered as a sex offender and was on probation from an assault on a child conviction when the extortion took place.

Over the course of four days in November and December 2020, Nieves obtained nude photos of the victim through Snapchat, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts said in a press release Thursday. He then forced her to engage in “graphic” video chats with him while he masturbated by threatening to post the nude photos online if she didn’t cooperate.

The victim’s mother intervened and reported Nieves to local police, the release said. During a search of Nieves’ home in Lowell, he confirmed that the Snapchat account used to communicate with the victim was his.

Nieves became a level three sex offender in 2018 after a Middlesex Superior Court convicted him of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, the release said.

Nieves pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography in connection with the extortion in June 2022. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani sentenced him to 210 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release, the release said.

“Nieves is a convicted sex offender who used social media to continue to harm children, even while on probation. This significant sentence ensures he will be off the streets and unable to prey on children,” Special Agent Michael Krol said in the release.

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