Doniphan teenager Cody Holum has been sentenced to 80 to 160 years in jail for what authorities call a sophisticated sextortion scam involving over a dozen victims.
According to Hall County Attorney Marty Klein, evidence suggests that Holum, a Doniphan-Trumbull High School student, pressured and misled girls into sending pornographic images and videos.
“The motivation for the crimes was power, control, and sexual gratification,” said Klein.
He detailed how Holum duped his victims by creating various online identities and threatening to disclose their images unless they provided additional information or, in some cases, consented to sexual assault.
In a public courtroom, a young woman, whose identity remains secret, shared her terrifying ordeal. “They instructed me on the timing, location, and duration of these videos,” she revealed to me.
Judge Andrew Butler, who presided over the case, remarked on the intricacy of Holum’s multi-year scheme. “It’s scary at those ages you were, Cody, that you had the ability to set those things up and think about having that many email addresses, those different social media accounts,” according to Butler.
Klein refers to Holum’s conduct as “duplicitous” and sextortion. While it may not fit perceptions of human trafficking, Klein claims it satisfies the definition since Holum compelled females to take sexually explicit images against their wishes.
Holum is accused of robbing the girls of their innocence and leaving them shattered.
The individual expressed a range of emotions, including feelings of being overwhelmed, victimized, ashamed, and worthless.
Although Holum did not have any previous criminal record, the judge denied his attorney’s request for probation. Judge Butler highlighted Holum’s refusal to acknowledge his wrongdoing, emphasizing that the significant number of individuals he had exploited played a crucial role in the decision.
Holum was sentenced by Butler to 80 to 160 years in prison, making him eligible for parole in 40 years. He will receive credit for the 404 days he has already served in jail.
Klein empathized with the victims and recognized the immense pain they had to endure. He emphasized that there were no winners in the situation and acknowledged that the sentence provided a sense of justice.