Former UA Student Gets 25 Years in Prison for Sextortion of Children

A former University of Alabama student who was arrested in Tuscaloosa almost four years ago has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the sexual extortion of nearly 20 children.

As the Thread reported back in November 2020, Aden Willis Yeager was a Louisville, Kentucky native who was arrested at UA's Ridgecrest dormitory after the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force found cause to charge him with fourteen felonies related to extorting minors to create and send him pornography.

The local investigation led to a four-count federal indictment and arrest last summer, and Yaeger pleaded guilty to one charge - production of child pornography - in March.

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On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples said U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler has sentenced Yeager to 25 years in prison.

They also outlined some of the details of the case that federal and local police brought against him.

"In November 2020, the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children related to acts of sextortion committed by Yeager towards a minor female," they said in a release. "Yeager coerced and enticed the minor to send him nude photos of herself, and then he sold the photos online. When the minor would refuse to send more pictures, Yeager would threaten to send her nude photos to everyone in her contact list on social media."

The federal prosecutors said a deeper investigation positively identified 19 minors who Yaeger contacted for pornography.

Yaeger, now 22, was sentenced to 300 months - 25 years - in prison, with a life term of supervision after his release. He was also ordered to pay more than $90,000 in restitution to his victims.

This case was investigated by the University of Alabama Police Department, the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, and numerous FBI agents. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.