EAST LANSING, Mich. – An East Lansing man who prosecutors say sexually exploited at least eight young boys has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Ian Jason Lipsky, 51, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for sexually exploiting children. Prosecutors said that between 2013 and 2020, Lipsky used Skype, Reddit, Snapchat, and Kik to communicate with at least eight young boys and sexually exploit them.
Prosecutors said Lipsky began exploiting children when he lived in Daly City, California. While he was living in California he persuaded two boys, ages 14 and 17, to meet him at his home where he sexually exploited them.
He moved to Michigan in 2018 and continued to sexually exploit children online. Prosecutors said he encouraged boys between the ages of 12 to 16 years old to send and take sexually explicit photos and videos. Lipsky recorded the videos and photos and saved them to encrypted hard drives.
“Lipsky is a serial offender whose sexual exploitation spanned years, from California to Michigan,” said U.S. Mark Attorney Totten. “Today’s sentence ensures he will never harm another child. Lipsky used the internet and social media to access minor boys. Parents, guardians, loved ones, and anyone online must understand that predators are trolling social media. Candid conversations with our kids are so important: educating them about the threats; keeping them out of harm’s way; and ensuring they have a safe space to share what happened if they are harmed.”
How to protect yourself from sextortion schemes
The FBI shared the following tips on how people can protect themselves from sextortion schemes:
- Be selective about what you share online. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you.
- Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
- Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that people are who they claim to be. Images can be altered or stolen. In some cases, predators have even taken over the social media accounts of their victims.
- Be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and this person asks you to start talking on a different platform.
- Be in the know. Any content you create online -- whether it is a text message, photo, or video -- can be made public. And nothing actually “disappears” online. Once you send something, you don’t have any control over where it goes next.
- Be willing to ask for help. If you are getting messages or requests online that don’t seem right, block the sender, report the behavior to the site administrator, or go to an adult. If you have been victimized online, tell someone.
Anyone with information about a sextortion crime is asked to contact their local FBI office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or report it online at tips.fbi.gov. More information about protecting yourself from sextortion crimes is available at fbi.gov.