Gaston man accused in court of using Xbox to prey on children for nude photos

Details emerged this week of how a Gaston County man allegedly preyed on young children before being arrested nearly two years ago.

Federal court documents filed by prosecutors allege Benjamin Godwin Swanson used his Xbox console to connect with young boys, according to multiple media reports, then use a Facebook account to ask the children for nude photos.

During the time he asked for the photos, court documents say, Swanson found victims from several states including Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The abuse was discovered when the parents of one of his victims found Swanson’s communications and called police, WSOC reported.

Swanson was a registered sex offender at the time of his arrest, after serving four years in prison for promoting a sexual performance by a child in Florida, according to the Shelby Star.

After he was released from jail in Florida, Swanson moved to Gaston County, the newspaper reported.

A plea agreement is on the table for Swanson, according to multiple reports, but the details of the agreement haven’t been released.

This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Gaston man accused in court of using Xbox to prey on children for nude photos."