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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPittsburgh-area high school student facing more than 300 felony charges in child sextortion and catfishing scheme
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2026/02/20/peters-township-pennsylvania-high-school-student-charged-felony-sextortion/stories/202602200083
Zachariah Abraham Meyers, 18, faces 304 charges ranging from sexual exploitation of and sexual abuse of children to unlawful contact with minors and wiretap law violations.
According to the criminal complaint in his case, Mr. Meyers posed as a woman on social media sites including Snapchat and TikTok, sometimes using photos of a Dutch adult-film actress to exchange photos and videos with the teens.
At least 14 teenagers sent explicit photos after they were contacted by accounts traced back to Mr. Meyers, many of which used some variation of the name Claire Mauve. The Claire Mauve account would eventually prompt some of the boys to move their communications to Telegram, a cloud-based messaging platform.
Catfishing is the term used to describe creating a fake or deceptive online persona to target others. Sextortion involves coercing intimate images from a victim and then using those images in extortion.
Police said Mr. Meyers coerced one of the teenagers to secretly record video inside the wrestling locker room at least six times, victimizing at least 10 other teenage boys who didnt know they were being recorded. The teen told police that after not sending videos for some time, the person behind the account allegedly Mr. Meyers told the boy he needed something to keep my silence.
That same teenager, according to the complaint, was coerced into engaging in sex acts with two adult men at Mr. Meyers behest.
Another teenager told police that after sending photos to the Claire Mauve account, the defendant demanded $500 in gift cards, threatening otherwise to send the photos to the victims family and friends. When the teen ignored the demands, Mr. Meyers allegedly sent the explicit photos of the boy to a relative.
Mr. Meyers forwarded some of the explicit photos and videos sent to him to other victims, according to the complaint. In some instances, police said, he directed victims to seek out and photograph other students by name.
Here's another reason why kids shouldn't be walking around with cell phones during school hours. Parents really NEED to install safeguards on their children's phones. Arrgghh!
stopdiggin
(15,259 posts)Baby predator - (and full time, full fledged, predator in the making)
This 'child' needs to be on a list of individuals that need to be monitored closely ... For a long, long time going forward ...
(and, no - not joking - and not exaggerating)
FakeNoose
(41,025 posts)I have no sympathy for him. No, I'm referring to the kids he's preying on, his own classmates and fellow high schoolers. They are too innocent to realize how awful and wrong this is.
Parents have to be responsible for the safety of their children, and that includes having parental controls on their children's phones.
stopdiggin
(15,259 posts)So - there is some natural hesitancy there ...
But - can't say as I'm too dismayed at the 'adult' charges leveled here ...
And - you and I would probably both be surprised if the level of punishment meted out here in the end was anywhere close to what's deserving.
This 'kid' terrorized and preyed on other children - but then proceeded to actually follow through on threats of actual pain and damage when met with non-compliance.
Vicious, thuggish bully - proving willing to attack when thwarted - and quickly rounding into a dangerous type of individual.
stopdiggin
(15,259 posts)Maybe for the 10-12 set ...
These are high school kids. Different kettle of fish entirely ... Setting up major conflict if attempted. And, frankly (to my mind) - just isn't going to work.
ornotna
(11,443 posts)I know its not possible but he fits the bill.
FakeNoose
(41,025 posts)The 18-year-old-kid is enticing the younger boys to send him photos of boys, not girls.
Chump wouldn't have much sympathy, I don't think.
BlueWaveNeverEnd
(13,634 posts)BlueWaveNeverEnd
(13,634 posts)FakeNoose
(41,025 posts)... however he did ask for photos of certain boys by name. How would he know any of their classmates' names, unless he was also a classmate? These kids were too innocent to be suspicious. That's how they got pulled in.
hatrack
(64,608 posts)harumph
(3,177 posts)Melon
(1,242 posts)He is lucky kids didnt kill themselves. This is likely to have extremely damaged these kids and likely altered the course of their lives. .
RPM
(5,643 posts)Too busy to care parents go to outer ring to avoid "crime" - those kids do more drugs and awful shit than those in my kid's city school
debm55
(58,677 posts)Last edited Sat Feb 21, 2026, 10:23 PM - Edit history (1)
Deminpenn
(17,363 posts)and are busy hosting WPIAL playoff games right now.
Javaman
(65,484 posts)Psychopath
Deminpenn
(17,363 posts)What I found interesting was the relatively tepid response from the Peters Twp district administration.