A Brooklyn man who trolled social media for young girls will spend 12 years in federal prison after authorities say he coerced multiple minors, some as young as 13, into sending sexually explicit images.
The sentence was handed down on Jan. 29, 2026, in a case that spanned borders and time zones. According to court filings, the defendant used platforms including Instagram, Omegle and Skype to pressure victims across state lines and abroad into sending explicit photos and videos. The U.S. Embassy in Cyprus and Cyprus police later received public credit for helping identify some of those victims, a rare bit of diplomatic spotlight that the FBI New York account quickly reshared.
RT @USEmbassyCyprus: Congratulations to the @cyprus_police & @NewYorkFBI on their outstanding international cooperation that led to the conviction and sentencing of a predator who exploited children online. https://x.com/i/status/2028534763108065586
— FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) March 2, 2026
How Cyprus police helped the probe
Federal agents credit Cyprus’ cybercrime unit with playing a key behind the scenes role in tracing victims and online links that fed into the U.S. investigation. As reported by Cyprus Mail, the unit helped pinpoint victims roughly between the ages of 13 and 17, then passed that intelligence to investigators in New York.
What prosecutors said in court
According to a Jan. 29 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, EDNY, 53-year-old Steven LaBianca pleaded guilty in September 2024 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for coercion and enticement of minors and possession of child pornography. Prosecutors said LaBianca manipulated girls into producing explicit photos and videos and that the case was handled by the office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.
“Today, the defendant received a significant and deserved jail term for using manipulation and deception to exploit vulnerable victims,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said in the announcement. The office noted that the sentence was brought under Project Safe Childhood, the Eastern District program that coordinates prosecutions of online child exploitation cases alongside victim safety efforts.
Why cross-border work mattered
The U.S. Embassy in Cyprus followed up with a Feb. 25 message congratulating the Cyprus Police and the New York FBI for what it called “outstanding international cooperation” that helped identify victims and secure the conviction. Those public kudos, along with coverage from Cypriot outlets, underscore how child exploitation cases that start in a Brooklyn living room can quickly require help from cybercrime units half a world away to track digital footprints and locate minors at risk.
Legal note
Prosecutors say LaBianca was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly in a case docketed as E.D.N.Y. No. 22‑CR‑206 (AMD). For local readers tracking similar cases, Hoodline previously highlighted the outcome in a Jan. 30 roundup that mentioned the 12-year sentence.
