Canadian Pleads Guilty in Sextortion Case Involving Teens

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP – A Canadian man who admitted to enticing two teens into a performing sex acts for him on a webcam pleaded guilty Tuesday to child pornography, extortion and related charges in a case that involved the West Bloomfield Township Police Department, officials said.

Antonio P. Fontana, 58, of Pickering, Ontario, pleaded guilty to unlawful coercion and enticement of a 15-year-old girl, the production of child pornography and extortion using the internet, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade said in a news release.

Stay Connected

• Sign up for the West Bloomfield Patch free daily newsletter and news alerts
• Like West Bloomfield Patch on Facebook

Fontana, who pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson, could be sentenced anywhere from 15 years to life in prison under the terms of the plea agreement.

Beginning in October 2013, Fontana posed as a 16-year-old boy on Omegle.com, which allows users to video chat with strangers.

The victim performed sexual acts on an almost daily basis and recorded most, if not all, of them, then threatened to post the recordings online and send them to the victim’s family if she didn’t continue to perform for him, the government said.

The victim tried to cut off contact with Fontana in December 2013, but he continued to communicate with her and her mother in an attempt to coerce the victim into continuing to communicate, officials said.

In January and February 2014, Fontana sent sexually explicit images of the victim to her mother, her school and her church. Friends, peers and church administrators received the images.

Fontana, who admitted he victimized more than five girls, was extradited from Canada and faces a prison sentence of at least 15 years in prison, though he could face life.

“The phenomenon of sextortion, where child predators use the internet to extort children to pose for pictures and engage in sex acts online, is a growing problem,” McQuade said in the news release.

“Predators entice young people to pose for compromising pictures and then use their shame to silence the victims from seeking help,” McQuade continued. “Parents should warn their children that you never know who is on the other end of an internet conversation and to never let shame prevent them from seeking help when they are in trouble.”