By Staff Reporter |
As one of his last major moves in Congress leading up to the November showdown against Gov. Katie Hobbs, Republican nominee and Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05) is attempting to reach across the aisle to pass core priority legislation.
Biggs publicly called on Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego to secure Senate consideration and passage of his bill addressing child exploitation.
The bill, Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act (CSAFE), passed in the House in mid-January earlier this year. Biggs urged Kelly and Gallego to work with him to root out the current flaws in the law that worsen child coercion and exploitation.
“It’s been 227 days since the U.S. House unanimously passed my CSAFE Act to deliver long-overdue legal clarity and serious consequences for criminals who coerce and exploit children,” said Biggs. “Passage of this bill would close gaps in federal law that allow predators to hide behind screens, anonymity, and outdated statutes while young lives are shattered. It’s time for action. It’s time for the U.S. Senate to pass CSAFE.”
The legislation would make it a punishable crime to coerce minors into committing self-harm, suicide, animal abuse, or other torturous or sexually exploitative acts. Those that violate this proposed law would face fines and up to 10 years in prison at minimum.
Coercion that results in the serious bodily injury of a child would bump the imprisonment maximum to 10 years, and coercion that results in death would empower a judge to sentence the offender to prison for life or as long as deemed necessary.
The bill defines coercion to include “the use of a threat, extortion, blackmail, fraud, deceit, or manipulation.”
Coercion against children often occurs online.
In late 2024, the Department of Justice arrested a 20-year-old Tucson man for producing child sexual abuse material and cyberstalking. The man, Baron Cain Martin, was indicted last October on 29 counts related to his alleged participation in a child exploitation enterprise.
Martin was allegedly a part of 764: one of the more notorious online violent terror networks, also known as child sextortion sites.
According to the indictment and DOJ announcement, Martin produced and distributed child pornography and coerced and enticed minors to engage in sexual activity under the moniker “Convict.”
Martin was also indicted on conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; conspiracy to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country; cyberstalking; animal crushing and distribution of animal crushing videos; and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Martin allegedly first entered the world of child sextortion in 2019. His represents the first case in which a 764 member faces terrorism charges. His case, United States v. Martin, is ongoing in the Arizona District Court.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year directing federal agencies to coordinate on disrupting cyber crimes including sextortion, and the networks behind those crimes. The order is part of the Trump administration’s broader Cyber Strategy for America initiative.
The initiative identified six pillars for improving cybersecurity: shaping adversary behavior, promoting commonsense regulation, modernizing and securing federal government networks, securing critical infrastructure, sustaining superiority in critical and emerging technologies, and building talent and capacity.
An action plan for implementing this initiative is forthcoming.
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