A 20-year-old Tucson man has been arrested for his alleged involvement in producing child sexual-abuse material and cyberstalking offenses, police say.
The FBI has been building a case against Baron Martin, who they say has been an active part of online terror networks. One called 764 is known to target vulnerable minors and coerce or threaten them into self-harm and sexual acts, which are recorded or streamed online and shared with others.
Agents say Martin used the messaging platform Discord to force two young teenage girls to self-harm for him. The criminal complaint says one victim, a 13-year-old girl, mutilated herself under a death threat for her grandmother.
A conviction could result in up to 30 years in prison for the production of child sexual abuse material and up to 10 years for cyberstalking a minor.
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Just over a year after a teenager was beaten to death in Queen Creek, a bill named after him has been introduced at the state Legislature.
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House Bill 2281 would establish an alert system used in instances when an Indigenous person has gone missing amid unexplained or suspicious circumstances.
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A woman who is suing the city of Surprise following her arrest at a City Council meeting has amended the civil rights lawsuit to include allegations of excessive force.
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The Biden administration did not take legal action against Phoenix to impose sweeping changes the U.S. Justice Department said were needed following a yearslong civil rights investigation. Now the new Trump administration has put a freeze on civil rights cases.
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A new Department of Justice memo directs federal prosecutors to investigate local jurisdictions it believes are impeding deportation plans outlined by the new Trump administration.