Man Accused Of Sexually Extorting 13-Year-Old Girl Online Arrested In East Bay

BERKELEY, CA — A 39-year-old man was arrested in Berkeley on Wednesday on suspicion of sexually extorting a teen girl he met online, police said.

Raymond Pearce faces charges of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sex crime, extortion, coercing a minor to perform sex acts, possession of child sexual abuse material and annoying a minor, according to the Berkeley Police Department.

The charges stem from Pearce's texts with a 13-year-old girl he met online on social media, police said.

It's unclear exactly how long Pearce and the girl were communicating, but during that time, he learned she was 13 and demanded she send him explicit photos of her, police said.

At some point, the girl complied, but Pearce insisted on more, threatening to expose the images she already had if she refused, police said.

He also demanded to know the girl's home address, police said.

The girl's parents discovered she was being sexually extorted and contacted police, who launched an investigation on Oct. 12, authorities said.

Investigators identified Pearce as a suspect and located him near UC Berkeley on Wednesday.

"This case serves as an important reminder for parents and guardians to stay engaged in their children's online activities," police said in a statement Friday morning. "Predators may use social media and messaging applications to build relationships with minors, manipulate them, and threaten them into sharing explicit images or personal information."