Following an investigation into an online child-sex predator, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) busted one of its own employees allegedly using his position to groom boys as young as 12-years-old to act out his sick sexual fantasies on camera.
A grand jury indicted now-former FBI contractor Brett William Janes, of Arlington, Virginia, on federal charges of sexually abusing and exploiting children to produce child porn, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a press release Wednesday.
Janes, a Washington, D.C.- based intelligence expert, who had recently accepted a contracted position within a headquarters unit in the FBI, is charged with a slew of felonies: two counts of sexual exploitation of children and production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one count of attempted coercion and enticement, and one count of receipt of child pornography.
According to court documents Townhall has obtained, between January and May 2023, Janes contacted about a dozen underage boys over instant-messaging platforms, such as Snapchat and Discord, to coerce the children into engaging in sexual acts. Janes groomed the minors by telling them he worked for a U.S. intelligence agency within the federal government, before repeatedly threatening to commit suicide if the children did not obey his commands, FBI probable cause statements allege.
An affidavit, filed in support of a criminal complaint and an arrest warrant for Janes, says that on Discord, he flashed his security badges, bearing the Great Seal of the United States, that the contract employee used to access federal facilities. During the investigation, FBI special agents verified the bureau's employment of the alleged pedophile. According to his LinkedIn profile, Janes was an intelligence analyst for a counter-threat agency that provides consultation services to U.S. government agencies.
Janes allegedly enticed "Minor Victim #1," a 13-year-old boy whom he met through the multi-player video game Valorant, to strip and masturbate over a live Discord video call by paying the boy a total of $500 via CashApp and threatening to kill himself if the child didn't comply with his demands. Federal prosecutors are accusing Janes of pressuring the boy to play "strip games," in which the loser would have to remove an article of clothing on video, ultimately leading to both Janes and the minor being naked.
"i thought we we're friends actually but u unadding me and taking a random 100 bucks really showed me man [...] im just going to kill myself cause no one likes me..." Janes allegedly messaged the middle schooler on Feb. 20 in an attempt to guilt-trip the child for accepting the CashApp payments. "but i guess f*ck me and what ever since u only care about money," Janes allegedly wrote.
With "Minor Victim #2," Janes allegedly discussed in a Discord conversation on April 10 dominant and submissive roles, a power dynamic in BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism), saying he wanted the boy to role-play. "i only know its something that gay ppl have or sumthing," the boy responded. "You make me use my ball gag eat my c*m or f*ck myself with my dildo etc lol," Janes explained to the boy. "Want me to wear my thongs lol..." he added. "There mine haha and I have two dildos."
Then, on April 14, Janes solicited sexually-explicit images from Minor Victim #3, identified as "MV3," to which the child sent Janes multiple graphic photographs on Discord, including a picture of a pink sex toy anally penetrating the boy, per court records.
A day earlier, Janes allegedly attempted to meet up with Minor Victim #5 (a.k.a. "MV5") and invited the 14-year-old boy over to his apartment near the Pentagon, pleading the child to take the Metro, the D.C. public transit system, to his residence. "i have a fun game we could play too once u get here youll like it i think," Janes typed in a failed attempt to lure the boy, after offering beer.
Over on Snapchat, videos depicting the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy ("Minor Victim #6") were sent to Janes, whose username was "youwillfall82," charging documents say. The compilation of footage was filmed in a child's bedroom, featuring a blanket with a smiley-face pattern on the bed that is "consistent with bed sheets used by minor children," the affidavit determines.
Janes also allegedly purchased hundreds of videos and images of child pornography through encrypted messenger Telegram.
As of May 31, Janes remains detained in federal custody at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria. If convicted of the charges, Janes faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Authorities, after submitting a series of subpoenas to Snapchat and Discord, are actively working to identify the rest of his victims. Any individuals who believe they've been or know someone believed to have been victimized by Janes are encouraged to contact the FBI at (202) 278-2000 and ask to speak to the agency's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Arlington County Police, in addition to the FBI, are investigating the ongoing Janes case in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Acting Assistant U.S. Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the DOJ's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, and Arlington County's Chief of Police Charles "Andy" Penn made the announcement this week of the four-count federal indictment against Janes.
Snapchat, along with Big Tech apps like Meta's Instagram and Facebook, has increasingly been used as a hunting ground for child predators to prey upon innocent children as well as circulate troves of child sexual abuse material among pedophile circles.
