An NYPD officer is accused of posing as a 17-year-old to solicit pornography from at least 46 minors

• NYPD officer Carmine Simpson was arrested Thursday on charges of the sexual exploitation of children.
• Simpson is accused of posing as a 17-year-old on Twitter to solicit pornography from at least 46 minors.
• Prosecutors say Simpson obtained at least 18 sexually explicit photos and 33 sexually explicit videos from minors.

A New York City police officer has been accused of posing as a 17-year-old on Twitter to solicit pornography from at least 46 minors, according to court documents.

Officer Carmine Simpson, 26, was arrested on Thursday and charged with the sexual exploitation of children.

Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Seth DuCharme said in a statement that Simpson, of Holbrook, New York, targeted "vulnerable" children between the ages of 13 and 17 and "repeatedly enticed" them to make explicit videos and photos for him.

According to a criminal complaint, prosecutors say Simpson communicated with at least 46 children on Twitter and obtained at least 18 sexually explicit photos and 33 sexually explicit videos.

While interacting with minors, Simpson posed as a 17-year-old and sent pictures of himself to minors using a filter that made him appear younger than he is, prosecutors said in the criminal complaint.

Prosecutors said Simpson also asked young girls to write explicit phrases or his name on their bodies, requested images of their underwear, and told one girl to send him a video of her choking herself with a belt.

"As a law enforcement officer, Mr. Simpson swore an oath to protect the public he served," William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office said in a statement about the charges. "We allege he chose instead to manipulate some of our society's most vulnerable citizens when he repeatedly enticed children to create sexually explicit videos and photos."

If convicted, Simpson faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson from the NYPD's Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said Simpson has been suspended without pay.

"The allegations in this case are reprehensible," the spokesperson said. "The NYPD has zero tolerance for any officer who would endanger children or betray his oath in such a manner."

Todd Greenberg, Simpson's lawyer, declined to comment to Insider.

Simpson was arraigned in a Long Island court on Thursday and is being held without bail.

• Read more:
• New York attorney general is suing the NYPD saying it used 'excessive force' and made false arrests during last year's Black Lives Matter protests
• The NYPD is looking for 6 suspects they say punched a woman in the face for not wearing a mask on the subway
• A New York City man who shot a cop twice in the back on Christmas Eve said he is 'sorry' and wished it 'never happened'
• New York City police officers who don't wear a mask while on duty will face 'disciplinary action'