Atlanta man receives 24-year federal sentence after Instagram scheme used to coerce nine teenage boys

Federal court outlines yearslong social media deception and coercion involving minors

An Atlanta man has been sentenced in federal court to 24 years in prison after authorities said he used an Instagram persona to contact, coerce and exploit nine teenage boys across multiple states. The sentence includes a lengthy term of supervision after his prison term and requires sex-offender registration.

The defendant, identified in court records as Myles Frazier, was sentenced on Aug. 11, 2021, after pleading guilty earlier that year. Prosecutors said the conduct spanned from December 2017 through July 2019 and centered on social media contact that escalated into demands for sexual content and, in at least one instance, in-person sexual encounters.

How the contacts began and what investigators said happened

Authorities said Frazier primarily initiated contact through an Instagram account that presented him as an older woman. In court filings, the persona was described as “Liv.” Prosecutors said the online identity was used to build contact with high school-aged boys and to persuade them to create or send sexually explicit images and videos.

Three of the victims attended the same high school, according to the case summary presented to the court. Prosecutors said one victim was pressured and paid to allow a man to come to his home for sex acts on two occasions and that the man was Frazier. Court records state the victim asked for the encounter to stop both times, and during the second incident used physical force to end the contact.

Alleged threats and pressure after victims resisted

Prosecutors said coercion intensified when victims did not comply. In the case of the first victim, authorities said Frazier sent more than 100 threatening messages over about a week, including threats to expose the teen to family and school, threaten legal action, and come to the victim’s home.

Authorities said similar tactics were used with other victims. In one instance, court filings describe a threat to expose a victim in a way that could jeopardize a college athletic scholarship. For victims outside Georgia, prosecutors said payments and pornographic videos were used to obtain explicit material, followed by threats to publicly post content or to contact school officials and parents when demands were refused.

• Prison sentence: 24 years in federal custody
• Supervised release: 20 years following imprisonment
• Additional requirements: sex-offender registration during supervision
• Key platforms referenced in court records: Instagram and direct messaging

The case reflects how social media impersonation and coercive messaging can be used to facilitate exploitation, including threats aimed at reputational harm when victims resist.

What the sentence means going forward

With no parole in the federal system, the prison term will be served as imposed, subject to federal rules governing credit and release. The extended supervised-release period is designed to monitor conduct after incarceration and can include restrictions and compliance requirements set by the court.

The investigation was handled by federal law enforcement, and the prosecution proceeded in the Northern District of Georgia.