Tyler Vai See, 23, of Visalia, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for targeting and threatening minors through social media for sexual purposes. (Tulare County DA)
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A 23-year-old Visalia man was sentenced Friday to 40 years to life in state prison for extorting, threatening, and targeting minors for sex through social media, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said.
Tyler Vai See was sentenced in Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia after pleading no contest earlier this year to 12 felony charges involving 12 victims.
Prosecutors said the crimes began in fall 2023, when See used Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok to contact young girls, some as young as 10, while falsely portraying himself as a teenage boy.
See asked victims to send lewd photographs or meet him at locations throughout Tulare County for sexual purposes, prosecutors said. In some cases, he gained enough trust to speak with victims by phone.
When some victims rejected his advances, See threatened to harm them and their families or expose their conversations and photos to friends, according to prosecutors. He also sent lewd videos of himself to the girls. Videos found on his phone confirmed sex acts with two minors, prosecutors said.
See Arranges to Meet With Minor
On Aug. 24, 2024, See arranged to meet a 13-year-old girl behind a school in Orosi for sex acts, prosecutors said. The girl’s family discovered their private Instagram messages and arranged the meeting themselves.
When See arrived, he sped away and struck a vehicle before the family apprehended him and turned him over to law enforcement, prosecutors said.
See pleaded no contest March 19 to three counts of committing a lewd act upon a child under 14, with a special allegation that the crimes involved multiple victims, one count of committing a lewd act upon a child between 14 and 15, one count of meeting a minor for a sexual purpose, one count of attempted extortion, and six counts of contacting a minor for a sexual offense.
See must also register as a sex offender for life. The court imposed a 10-year criminal protective order barring him from contacting his victims.
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