California Man Sentenced to Over Six Years for Child Pornography and School Bomb Threat Hoax in Pennsylvania

A 20-year-old California man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for distributing child pornography and orchestrating a bomb threat hoax as part of a harassment campaign against a Pennsylvania minor he met online.

Nathaniel Sean DeLeon, of Tulare, California, received a 78-month prison sentence on May 20, 2025, from U.S. District Judge Karoline Mehalchick. Federal prosecutors said the case stemmed from DeLeon’s retaliation against a 16-year-old in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, after the end of an online relationship that began through the Roblox gaming platform. Between June and November 2023, DeLeon initiated 23 separate swatting calls—false reports meant to provoke armed law enforcement responses—mostly targeting locations tied to the minor.

One of the most serious incidents occurred on November 30, 2023, when DeLeon impersonated the minor during a message to a suicide prevention hotline, claiming that bombs had been planted inside Big Spring High School and that the teen was armed in a vehicle outside. The false threat led to the evacuation of roughly 650 students and staff. No weapons or explosives were found.

In the same month, DeLeon also distributed a sexually explicit video of the minor on two separate occasions. The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a national Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child exploitation. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Pennsylvania State Police.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania

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