A New York man has been busted after prosecutors say he used Snapchat to lure underage girls with the investigation beginning in neighboring Warren County after one of his teenage victims was discovered there.

The U.S. Attorney’s office announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging Brian Liam Fullerton with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Fullerton was arrested this week and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged, Brian Fullerton used Snapchat and other social media applications to manipulate and exploit numerous minor victims. We will deploy every resource at our disposal to protect the most vulnerable among us, and we will prosecute those who prey on our children to the fullest extent of the law.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Brian Fullerton allegedly directed several female minors to record and perform sexual acts, while requiring secrecy upon learning the victims’ underage status. The defendant allegedly engaged in unlawful sexual communications and induced the repeated production of explicit content, violating the victims’ privacy and preying upon their innocence. The FBI remains determined to apprehend any individual who sexually exploits minors to fulfill their perverted gratification.”

From as early as September 2022, Fullerton used social messaging applications, including Snapchat, to prey on victims as young as 14 years old. Fullerton got these victims to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. Among those Fullerton targeted was a 14-year-old minor (“Victim-3”), from whom he obtained several sexually explicit videos and to whom he sent sexually explicit text messages, writing, among other things.

Fullerton, 46, of Mahopac, New York, is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, each of which carries a 15-year mandatory minimum and a 30-year maximum sentence.

Prosecutors praised the outstanding work of the FBI and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office in helping bring the suspect to justice. Prosecutors also are wanting any other persons who may have encountered him online to come forward.