Dazhon Darien Sentenced for Child Exploitation Crimes

• •Dazhon Darien sentenced to 20 years for exploiting eight minors.
• •Victims were aged 14 to 17; payments made via CashApp for explicit videos.
• •Investigation revealed exploitation during his tenure as an athletic director.

Dazhon Darien, a former athletic director, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting eight minors, including one victim as young as 15. He coerced victims into producing sexually explicit videos, using platforms like CashApp for payments. The abuse occurred between April 2023 and June 2024, while Darien had access to minors as a school administrator. His actions were uncovered during an investigation into a deepfake incident involving a racist recording of a former principal. Darien's sentence includes 30 years of supervised release following his prison term. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative aimed at combating child exploitation. Darien had previously faced legal issues related to the deepfake incident, which also involved inappropriate communications with minors. The victims were from various locations, including Baltimore City and Houston.