Man Who Lured Boy on Facebook Gets 35 Years

A 25-year-old Chicago stockbroker was sentenced yesterday to 35 years in prison for soliciting sex from minors on Facebook, the Tribune reports. Facebook said this appears to be the first case of a sexual predator using the social networking site. Michael Macalindong posed as a girl to lure a teenage boy, and then blackmailed the teen with video of their encounters.

The boy reported the extortion, which occurred in 2006. Macalindong apparently bypassed controls on the site designed to prevent deception and protect minors from sexual advances. He pleaded guilty to charges of producing child pornography and attempted child enticement earlier this year. “This case reveals the disturbing truth that some adults will go to great lengths to sexually exploit minors,” a federal agent said. (More child sexual abuse material stories.)