Credit: Bensalem Township police
A Bensalem Township man who was behind a multi-victim “sextortion” case that involved one woman killing herself will serve decades in state prison.
Ian Pisarchuk, 27, was sentenced Thursday before Bucks County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Wallace Bateman at the Justice Center to serve 20 to 51 years in state prison.
Last March, Pisarchuk pleaded guilty to 67 counts, including enticing a minor to produce child pornography, possession of child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, sexual extortion, stalking, terroristic threats, harassment, and cyber harassment of a child, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Pisarchuk had 15 victims, including 21-year-old Lindsey Piccone, who died by suicide in 2016 at Tyler State Park after threats by Pisarchuk.
The district attorney’s office called Pisarchuk’s crimes “as cruel and disturbing as they were pervasive” as he extorted his victims using anonymous Snapchat accounts. He used the accounts to get the girls and women to send him sexually explicit photos and videos. Prosecutors stated one of his victims was as young as 12 years old.
Piccone’s mother, whose husband stood by her side, told the court about her daughter, who was among Pisarchuk’s first victims in September 2016.
“Lindsey was our world,” Piccone’s mother said, adding her late daughter was a premature “miracle baby.”
Before Piccone disappeared at Tyler State Park, Pisarchuk spoke with her on Snapchat as part of his sick scheme, authorities said.
An upset Piccone left her family’s Bensalem Township home and left a note behind that read: “Before someone else ruins my life, I’m ruining mine.”
A large and exhaustive search for Piccone was launched at Tyler State Park, but it was too late. Her remains were found later and it was ruled she died by suicide.
“Our world and lives were changed forever,” Piccone’s mother tearfully told the court.
“What did you do to her mind?” she asked Pisarchuk.
Although Pisarchuk was never charged specifically with Piccone’s death, he was charged for repeatedly extorting sexual images and videos from her and 14 other people.
Piccone’s death didn’t stop Pisarchuk and prosecutors said he kept on harassing and threatening girls and young women into sending explicit photos and videos.
Deputy District Attorney Brittney Kern said Pisarchuk threatened to expose the women and girls if they didn’t send more.
Pisarchuk threatened to send the images and video from the girls and women to friends, family, classmates, and possible employers as well as post them on social media. He even exploited Piccone’s suicide to terrify his victims by telling them what would happen if they disobeyed his demands, Kern said.
“They lived in fear, not knowing what this defendant was going to do,” she said.
“The investigation found that Pisarchuk would seek to build rapport with the victims before threatening to expose or do harm to them or others if they did not comply with his demands for sexually explicit images and videos. He used several different Snapchat usernames during the four years he tormented young women and girls on the social media site,” a statement from the district attorney’s office said.
Bensalem Township Detective Aaron Woelkers testified Thursday that Pisarchuk had hundreds of image and videos on his phone. The images and video were of 150 to 200 different women.
“Behind a computer screen, Pisarchuk felt he had power and control, something he lacked in everyday life,” the detective said.
“The actions of this defendant are truly horrific, and the impact he has had on the victims, their families, and the community is immeasurable,” Kern stated in court. “I am relieved that this defendant was stopped before he could ruin any additional lives. I hope that others who are victims of similar crimes feel empowered to come forward to police and report what has happened to them, so we can investigate and do our best to achieve some form of justice for them.”
Pisarchuk was initially charged in June 2021 with six victims’ sexual extortion. Nine additional victims were discovered some weeks later and more charges were issued in late July 2021.
The longtime judge said from the bench that Pisarchuk’s crimes were severe.
“You have done something to them that they may never recover from,” he said. “Only to satisfy your perverted state of mind.”
