In February 2014, Manning knowingly coerced a 6-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of taking pictures of such conduct “taken to gratify his own sexual desires,” according to court documents.
In the same year, Manning attempted to obtain a video of two minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, court documents said. Manning had a camera pointed at the midsections of a 9- and 7-year-old who were changing into bathing suits, documents said.
Manning was arrested on October 3, 2014, and has been incarcerated since that date. Manning is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 14. Epley is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 6 and could receive a 20-year sentence.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Black will decide whether to accept the agreement. Federal prosecutors said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
Last month, Epley pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children and coercion and enticement. Court documents allege Epley had sex with a 13-year-old girl and took nude pictures of a 4-year-old girl.
According to court documents, Manning confessed to some crimes when questioned by law enforcement. Epley is serving a 17-month sentence after pleading guilty in September 2014 in Miami County Common Pleas Court to soliciting sex from teen girls.
Epley could have faced 15 to 30 years and a $250,000 fine for sexual exploitation and 10 years to life for coercion and enticement.
A criminal complaint written by Federal Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Andrea Kinzig detailed a joint FBI-Troy Police Dept. investigation into Epley’s actions.
The complaint alleged that Epley solicited four girls aged 13 or 14 to have sex with him and sent one an inappropriate picture. One of the four girls admitted to having sex with Epley.
The complaint also alleged that the guardians of the 4-year-old girl said she reported Epley had taken nude pictures of her. Kinzig wrote that Epley wrote a letter from jail in August 2014 in which he admitted taking photos of the girl while taking marijuana, and, in a later interview, admitted to inappropriately touching her.
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