WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss for the District of Delaware announced today that Scott C. Foster, 42 of Dover, was sentenced yesterday to 240 months in prison followed by 120 months of supervised release. Foster pled guilty to one count of Enticement of a Minor to Produce Child Pornography on May 20, 2021.
According to publicly filed documents and statements made in open court, in the summer of 2016, Foster posed as teenage boys on Facebook and used aggressive and manipulative tactics to coerce and entice three minor females into producing child pornography. Foster attempted to do the same with eight other minor females and made overtures to even more.
U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “Technology and social media are ubiquitous and pervasive aspects of the lives of many U.S. children. And while much good comes from such interconnectedness, there are dangers and pitfalls as well. We are committed to protecting all children from predators like Scott C. Foster, so that children may use and enjoy such modern miracles without fear of becoming prey to the pernicious harm of child pornography.”
“Foster exploited the trust of his minor victims by masquerading as a peer. He manipulated and coerced these young people into creating exploitative material — a malicious tactic that is becoming all too common,” said Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker of the HSI Philadelphia Field Office. “This sentence illustrates the seriousness of this crime. HSI stands with our law enforcement partners in our continuing efforts to keep our children safe online and hold those who would prey on them to account.”
Homeland Security Investigations, the Delaware Child Predator Task Force, and the Caroline County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office investigated, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham L. Robinson of the District of Delaware prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.