WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Wisconsin teen who blackmailed dozens of fellow high school students into sex acts by using photos and videos obtained in a Facebook scam faces up to 50 years in prison after pleading no contest to two felonies Tuesday.
Anthony R. Stancl, 19, of New Berlin had faced 12 charges that carried a maximum penalty of nearly 300 years.
He pleaded no contest to repeated sexual assault of the same child and third-degree sexual assault. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed charges that included second-degree sexual assault, child enticement and possession of child pornography.
Stancl was accused of posing as a girl online and persuading more than 30 classmates into sending him naked pictures of themselves, then using the images to blackmail them for sex. Authorities found more than 30 folders on Stancl’s computer containing about 300 nude images of other male students at New Berlin Eisenhower High School in southeastern Wisconsin.
Waukesha County district attorney Brad Schimel said he would recommend a “substantial” prison sentence and he was satisfied with the plea agreement because Stancl still faces up to 50 years.
The deal also spares victims from having to appear in court, a key factor in his negotiations, he said.
Front Section, Pages 11 on 12/23/2009