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PROVO — Prosecutors believe that for years, a Cache County man created fake online profiles using the names and faces of real family members to have sexual conversations with other men, according to court documents.
Jacob Henry, 39, of Smithfield, was charged Monday in Provo's 4th District Court with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, and two counts of stalking, a third-degree felony. A $500,000 warrant was issued for his arrest.
From 2014 until 2017, Henry impersonated two female relatives "to make profiles, blogs, and online ads through numerous dating and sexually explicit websites," according to charging documents filed by the Utah Attorney General's Office.
Henry would post actual pictures of the women along with photos of nude women who looked nearly identical to his family members, the charges state. He also exchanged nude pictures with people online, claiming the women in the pictures he was sending were his relatives, according to the charging documents.
"Henry used these accounts to solicit online conversations and communications with other men online," the charges state.
Investigators say he also posted personal information about the female relatives, including names, occupations and marital status. While posing as the women, he would "describe their willingness to have extramarital affairs and engage in sexual activity with other men," according to the charges.
Investigators later served a search warrant on Henry's phone and found images of child pornography, the charges state.
Prosecutors have requested a high bail, noting that Henry "engaged in a course of conduct that has permanently damaged the public reputation of innocent family members" and "has engaged in this criminal and harmful behavior for years, causing substantial emotional harm to his victims."
Investigators say the crimes occurred in Salt Lake and Utah counties.
