Former Marine Sentenced to 40 Years After Trial Conviction on Sextortion and Child Sexual Abuse Charges

WILMINGTON, N.C. - Anthony Fritzinger, of Middletown, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for five counts of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), four counts of online exploitation of a minor, one count of possession of CSAM, and two counts of extortion. Fritzinger, 25, was convicted at trial on September 12, 2024.

"This defendant preyed on vulnerable children, manipulating and threatening them to produce explicit content for his own gratification," said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. "This case should also serve as a strong reminder that the proliferation of social media has expanded the manner in which young people can be targeted by individuals like Fritzinger, who look to exploit them. We will continue to do all we can to stand with survivors, protect children, and ensure their voices are heard as we pursue justice."

"This case represents the very worst kind of online exploitation, and it is only through the extraordinary courage of the victims and the relentless work of our Special Agents that justice was served," said Special Agent in Charge Kelly Parrish, NCIS Carolinas Field Office. "NCIS remains committed to uncovering hidden threats, safeguarding children from predatory abuse, and holding offenders accountable-no matter where they operate or how they hide."

According to court records and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, the investigation began when Fritzinger used an anonymous account to try to extort an eighteen-year-old woman online. He threatened to distribute naked pictures created when she was a minor unless she obeyed his order to create and send him additional sexual photos. Her family contacted their local police, who referred the case to Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). From there, NCIS discovered that he had been serially stalking, soliciting, and extorting minors to obtain sexual images and videos for years.

Fritzinger used teen "dating" websites like Yubo, Spotafriend, and mylol.com to identify and contact potential victims, sometimes posing as a teenage girl. Then he began online "relationships" with victims, including on Snapchat and Instagram, in which he encouraged children to send him sexually explicit images and videos. Fritzinger taught his victims to engage in a dominant/submissive relationship in which he exerted total control over them and required them to perform sadistic, sexual punishments. He manipulated and coerced victims to continue sending images, including falsely claiming to be dying and exploiting their immaturity and personal histories. Then he extorted many victims, threatening to expose their images to their friends and family if they did not send more.

NCIS recovered a vast quantity of disturbing evidence from Fritzinger's cell phone, laptop, social media accounts, and Dropbox account. He had collected hundreds of screenshots of young girls' social media profiles, and thousands of sexually explicit chats revealed his extensive efforts to entice minors to produce child pornography. NCIS recovered hundreds of images and videos of enticement victims, as well as other images and videos of child pornography that the defendant had collected online, including those depicting victims as young as toddlers. Through painstaking effort, NCIS was able to identify roughly two dozen victims, spanning several states, including several who bravely testified against Fritzinger at trial.

Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The NCIS investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake D. Pugh and Erin Blondel prosecuted.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-CR-00081.