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Indian gets 35-year jail term for exploiting minors in US, child pornography
FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater condemned Kurremula's actions, saying they caused "unthinkable harm" to the victims.
A 31-year-old Indian has been jailed in US for sexually harassing several children through a social media app. Authorities said the man used to pose as a teenager to gain trust of children on the app and would then threaten and extort them with child pornography when they refused his requests.
Sai Kumar Kurremula, 31, an Indian national living in Edmond, Oklahoma has been sentenced to 35 years in jail.
Kurremula had been living on an immigrant visa. US Attorney Robert Troester in a statement said, "He has been sentenced to serve 420 months in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of three children and transportation of child pornography."
After serving his term in a federal prison, he will also have to undergo a lifetime term of supervised release.
In announcing his sentence, US District Judge Charles Goodwin noted that these offences are among those that society considers the most serious because they involve such vulnerable victims. Goodwin further highlighted that Kurremula inflicted trauma on his victims that will echo throughout their lives and their families’ lives, and his lengthy sentence of imprisonment reflects that trauma.
How Kurremula was caught
Kurremula was charged in April last year with sexual exploitation of children and transportation of child pornography.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation in October 2023 into a social media account that was sexually exploiting minor girls. The account's Internet Protocol address led authorities to Kurremula.
According to public documents and evidence presented during the sentencing hearing, Kurremula exploited at least 19 minors on the social media app, often posing as a teenager to gain their trust. When victims refused his requests, he would manipulate, threaten, and extort them into producing more child pornography.
Kurremula pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting three minor victims and transporting child pornography. He admitted to threatening his victims, saying he would show explicit images to their parents, shoot their families, or publicly post explicit content.
‘Unthinkable harm’ to victims
US Attorney Robert J. Troester stated that Kurremula's 35-year sentence was justified, given the severity of his crimes. "This case serves as a clear warning to others that strong penalties await those who exploit and victimize our children," Troester said.
FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater condemned Kurremula's actions, saying they caused "unthinkable harm" to the victims.
“This defendant manipulated children into sending him explicit images for his own perverse gratification. These disgusting actions robbed the victims of their innocence and caused unthinkable harm,” he said.
