Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Warm Springs, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison today for using online social media and messaging platforms to coerce and sexually exploit a 15-year-old minor victim.
Leonard Polk, 25, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in December 2024, Polk met the minor victim through Snapchat, an online messaging application. Using Snapchat and Facebook Messenger, Polk persuaded the minor victim to send sexually explicit images. Polk then picked up the minor victim and brought her to his house on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, where he sexually abused her on multiple occasions.
Polk was arrested in Washington on January 21, 2025, and the minor victim was rescued, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received information that Polk had brought the minor victim from Oregon to Washington.
“Protecting children remains our highest priority. This case serves as a stark reminder of the very real dangers that exist on social media and the predators who use these platforms to exploit our youth,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “Let there be no doubt: if you target children in our community, we will use every resource at our disposal to protect them and ensure you are held fully accountable.”
On February 11, 2025, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a 2-count indictment charging Polk with sexual abuse of a minor and sexual abuse – incapable victim.
On July 14, 2025, Polk pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor.
This case was investigated by the FBI Portland’s Bend Resident Agency and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlotte Kelley.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.
This case was brought in collaboration with Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.