Feds accuse Michigan man of paying to watch livestreamed child porn

DETROIT — A Midland man was arrested by federal agents this week on charges of sexual exploitation of minors for allegedly paying to watch livestreamed child pornography.

Nathaniel Ray Coady, a former real estate agent in Midland, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Bay City on Wednesday after agents with the Department of Homeland Security executed a search warrant at his home, records show.

Coady, 53, remains in federal custody until his detention hearing on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris in Bay City.

His attorney, Alan A. Crawford, was not immediately available for comment Friday.

His LinkedIn page says he was a licensed realtor with Modern Realty from October 2019 until August 2022. The company confirmed he no longer works there.

The site also lists Coady as being as field organizer for the state Democratic party since August 2022. Officials were not immediately available Friday to confirm his affiliation.

According to an affidavit by a special agent assigned to the Homeland Security department's Cyber Crimes Group, Coady allegedly engaged in the sexual exploitation of children through an internet-based, videoconferencing and chat application.

She said the department has evidence that Coady used the application between May 22, 2017 and Feb. 13, 2018, chatted with three different traffickers and sent two financial payments via Moneygram in exchange for the sex shows involving minors.

Coady was arrested as part of the departments investigation into individuals who provide access to pre-produced child sexual abuse material and live-streaming online webcam shows involving the sexual abuse of children to paying customers worldwide, authorities said.

"This growing transnational child-sexual-abuse industry includes child sex traffickers in, among other places, the Philippines, who collect viewership fees from vetted customers scattered throughout the world," the special agent wrote in the affidavit.

"Paying customers often request that these child sex traffickers provide pre-recorded depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct or sexually abuse minors in real time during private webcam interactions on a variety of streaming video services and applications," she wrote.

During a search of Coady's residence on Wednesday, agents found Coady's Samsung smartphone. During a manual review of the phone, the special agent said the phone number listed on the device matched the phone number used used in the Moneygram payment.

Coady was at the residence during the search warrant and declined to speak to law enforcement, the affidavit said.

His attorney, Alan A. Crawford, was not immediately available for comment Friday.

According to a biography listed online, Coady produced a real estate podcast called "Nate’s Take on Real Estate." It also says he has lived in Midland County for more than a decade and has a wife and two children.