OnlyFans user sentenced to five years in child abuse case

The OnlyFans logo is seen on a computer monitor in this posed photo, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Warning: This article includes information that may be disturbing to readers.

A man accused of selling sex videos of a 16-year-old Florida girl on the adults-only website OnlyFans pleaded no contest to child abuse.

Ethan Diaz, 22, of New Jersey reached the plea agreement in a Florida court in September and was sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years of supervised probation, according to court documents. He was given credit for more than a year of time served. Diaz was ordered not to use OnlyFans and to have no contact with the victim during his probation.

Reuters reported on Diaz’s case in an investigation in July that documented dozens of complaints in U.S. police and court records that child sexual abuse material appeared on OnlyFans. The complaints cited more than 200 explicit videos and images of children, including some adults having oral sex with toddlers.

Authorities said Diaz met the girl online and enticed her into producing sexual content of herself to be sold on OnlyFans.

Over about three months in early 2023, Diaz posted dozens of sex videos and images of the girl on an OnlyFans account he controlled, according to investigators. He also directed the girl to post sexually explicit material of herself on the account, they said.

In April 2023, police say, Diaz flew in from New Jersey, picked up the girl from her house and was arrested at an Airbnb where prosecutors said he filmed six sex videos with her. He was arrested before he could post them on OnlyFans.

OnlyFans did not comment on Diaz’s case. The company says it vets every user and all content to keep children off the site.

Diaz also pleaded no contest to charges of custodial interference and illegal use of a communication device.

Diaz’s attorney, James Hill, did not comment.

(So reported from Washington. Editing by Julie Marquis)