Convicted sex offender targeted high schoolers in Ohio, gave gifts for sex acts, feds say
An Ohio man is accused of targeting high school students and giving them “gifts” in exchange for sex acts, federal officials said.
Terrance Cummings, 29, of Columbus was arrested on charges of sexually exploiting a minor, distributing, receiving or possessing child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor, and obstruction of justice, according to an Oct. 9 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Officials said a “federal child exploitation charge carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years and up to 50 years in prison and the coercion and enticement charge pending against him is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.”
McClatchy News reached out to Cummings’ attorney Oct. 10 for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Targeting teenage girls
Cummings was required to register as a sex offender in 2017 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, according to a criminal complaint.
On July 11, 2024, the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force received a tip from Nationwide Children’s Hospital that a 16-year-old girl “was being trafficked by Cummings,” according to court records.
The teen told authorities she met Cummings when she was 14, and performed sex acts with him in exchange for gifts and drugs, according to the complaint.
She told investigators “she was drugged multiple times by Cummings” before he performed sex acts on her, and that she knew four other minors who had similar experiences with him, court records show.
Investigators met with several victims between the ages of 15 and 17 who shared stories of Cummings drugging them, giving them “money, gifts, and drugs” in exchange for sex acts or sexually explicit content, and threatening them with physical violence, according to the criminal complaint.
Search Warrant
Agents with the FBI executing a search warrant at Cummings’ home in August found two iPhones he “attempted to destroy” submerged in a toilet tank, officials said.
Cummings’ electronics and accounts “contained more than 18,000 sexual images and videos including child pornography,” officials said.
While in jail, Cummings called one of the teenage victims and asked her to delete his Dropbox and OneDrive files and social media accounts, court records show.
FBI seeking other victims of Cummings
The FBI asks anyone with information about Cummings to text 740-428-0739.
The FBI also asks anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Cummings to complete this form. All identities of victims will be kept confidential.
This story was originally published October 11, 2024 at 8:49 AM with the headline "Convicted sex offender targeted high schoolers in Ohio, gave gifts for sex acts, feds say."
