Police allege that a Minnesota man posed as a teenager online and on social media apps to solicit sexually explicit videos and photographs from minors.
A press release confirmed Damien William Quinn, 34, has been federally indicted on four counts of production of child pornography, two counts of attempted production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and five counts of cyberstalking.
Quinn was arrested on Tuesday, January 6, according to the press release.
Quinn, who the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota said also uses the alias Ryan William Shattuck, utilized a series of fake Snapchat and Instagram accounts to contact and manipulate his underage victims.
All told, Quinn is alleged to have catfished 11 people online, with six of them minors. Two of the minors, police allege, were targeted specifically, as they attended North Branch High School, his alma mater, according to the press release.
Police have also accused Quinn of cyberstalking some of the women he attended North Branch High School with. Quinn allegedly claimed to the women he had explicit photos of them he intended to post online, the press release added.
“Quinn also modified at least one photograph of a victim to make the victim appear nude,” the press statement explained.
Authorities said they absolutely believe Quinn has more victims, and the FBI is asking anyone who also attended North Branch High School and may have experienced strange online interactions to contact their tip line at (800) 225-5324. This includes any reports of solicitations for explicit material from unknown accounts.
The FBI worked with the Forest Lake Police Department and the Eden Prairie Police Department to build their case against Quinn, the press release added.
Catfishing is not, in itself, an illegal act, as it is considered protected speech under the First Amendment. Police only get involved when that behavior leads to fraud, blackmail, harassment, or identity theft. Several states are currently considering legislation that would outlaw catfishing, resulting in monetary penalties as well as possible prison time.
Typically, victims of catfishing have but one path for actual recourse: civil lawsuits. Victims can sue their catfisher for invasion of privacy, defamation, and even emotional distress.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans reported losing more than $1 billion to romance scams in 2024 alone. Of course, experts believe the true amount is far greater. The latest data indicates 23% of social media users admit to having been catfished at least once, while the majority of catfishing — an eye-popping 83% — is facilitated through Facebook.
Even LinkedIn isn’t safe from catfishers. That site claims that catfishing attempts jumped approximately 37% between 2020 and 2023.
If you know of a young person who is being exploited or are the victim of a crime, you are urged to report it to your local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be left at tips.fbi.gov
