California man allegedly lured 80 children into making porn

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California man was arrested for allegedly posing as a young girl on social media and convincing more than 80 children to make pornographic videos, authorities said Tuesday.

Demetrius Carl Davis, 24, was booked Tuesday in Sacramento County on suspicion of committing a lewd or lascivious act with a child under 14, according to the county Sheriff’s Office website.

In 2020 and 2021, Davis allegedly posed as a prepubescent girl named “Lizzy” to lure and groom children 6 to 13 years old, the Sheriff’s Office said.

He allegedly befriended children and sent them child pornography, authorities said.

“After establishing a relationship with the child, Davis would direct them to produce child pornography, depicting themselves engaging in sexual acts with their siblings and other children known to them,” sheriff’s spokesperson Rodney Grassmann said in a video release.

A search of Davis’s Sacramento County home last December turned up sexually explicit digital recordings featuring children, Grassmann said.

Investigators have identified more than 80 alleged victims in the United States and there may be at least 15 others or more internationally for a total of at least 100 child victims, Grassmann said. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is helping with the international investigation.

Davis remained jailed without bail. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.