Staff photo / Ed Runyan Gerald Hamilton, 49, of Campbell, is seen during his sentencing hearing Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where he was sentenced to 15 to 19 years in prison after being convicted of offenses that involved pretending to be a young girl to convince them to send sexual images to him of themselves. At left is his attorney, Nick Brevetta.

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge R. Scott Krichbaum gave Gerald C. Hamilton, 49, of Sixth Street in Campbell, 15 to 19 years in prison Tuesday for carrying out “catfishing” schemes against young girls.

Catfishing is when a person uses false information and images to create a fake identity online with the intention to trick, harass or scam another person. It is often used on social media or dating apps and websites as a tactic used to form online relationships under false pretenses, according to CNN.

In Hamilton’s case, he had an “online persona acting as if he was a teenage girl in order to engage in conversations with teenage girls, using various means to gain their trust,” said Kevin Day, assistant prosecutor.

Hamilton used photographs of an older female as if he was that female in order to facilitate those conversations, Day said. Eventually, Hamilton got the girls to send him nude photos, Day said.

He convinced the girls that there was an older female that could provide the young girls with drugs, Day said. That was the ruse that allowed Hamilton to convince one girl to meet him at a Mahoning County motel, Day said.

The girl, 14, “was provided drugs and alcohol at the motel” and was “forced to do a striptease for the defendant,” Day said. In another incident, she was forced to provide alcohol to other males at a party while wearing lingerie, Day said.

The FBI discovered another victim, a young girl in Illinois, who Hamilton convinced to send him nude photos, Day said. The Mahoning County prosecutor’s office prosecuted the crimes involving the local girl, as well as crimes against a girl and a young woman in two other states.

“The evidence in this case paints a picture of Mr. Hamilton as a sexual predator, somebody who preys on girls who are impressionable, who don’t know any better,” Day said.

This is not the kind of case where “we’re trying to help you get back up on your feet,” Krichbaum said when sentencing Hamilton. “We’re here for justice. That’s what this is about for what you did to these innocent young people. The victimization of these people is abhorrent.

“I guess it’s unbelievable to me that someone could engage in such conduct. I don’t understand it, and in that regard I guess I have to thank God that I don’t understand it, that it’s not something that could be a part of my life.”

A search warrant was executed at Hamilton’s home on Sixth Street in Campbell and that is where a lot of the evidence came from, Day said. Hamilton’s indictments alleged that he committed his crimes between the fall of 2020 to late 2022.

Hamilton pleaded guilty in August to seven charges — two counts of felony child endangering involving victims who were about 15 years old, two counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented material and single counts of corrupting another with drugs, pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and identity fraud.

Day said the investigation into Hamilton’s crimes began with a report by a victim to a school resource officer. It led to an investigation by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and FBI that led to a search warrant being executed at Hamilton’s home. Investigators discovered the victim was going into a Mahoning County motel, where Hamilton gave the girl alcohol and marijuana. Social media and text messages were seen between the two, and it appeared that a third person also was communicating with the victim, but the third person, who was portrayed as a female, was actually Hamilton, Day said.

Hamilton has been labeled a Tier 2 sex offender as a result of the plea, meaning he will have to register his address with the sheriff in the county where he lives every six months for 25 years after he leaves prison.

According to the website of the Lawrence County YMCA, Hamilton served there as Community Outreach & Youth Development director.

When The Vindicator requested information on Hamilton’s time at the Lawrence County YMCA, Maria McKee, chief executive officer, responded that the YMCA is aware of the charges Hamilton faced.

She said Hamilton had worked there three months when he failed to report for work in June and officials learned that he had been arrested. His employment was terminated. She said there were no allegations of misconduct by Hamilton on YMCA property or with any YMCA participants. Hamilton also passed all background checks, child abuse clearances and completed the YMCA’s mandatory child abuse prevention training, she stated.

“The Lawrence County YMCA takes pride in providing safe places for children and adults to grow in skills and self confidence,” she continued. “We continue to pray for the victims following this sentencing. We will continue reviewing our staff and volunteer training policies to ensure they align with best-in-class practices to help prevent any incident like this from happening in the future.”