Third Person Charged In Peters Twp Sextortion Scheme

PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A  third person has now been charged in connection to what investigators describe as a high school sextortion and catfishing scheme centered around former Peters Township High School student Zachariah Meyers.    According to court documents, investigators allege 24-year-old Charles Ezekiel Usner, or Zeke, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy at Peters Lake Park in July 2025 after Meyers directed the teen to meet Usner there. Court records state the meeting was part of what investigators describe as the larger sextortion scheme. According to our news partners at Channel 11, Usner was previously employed in Louisiana by Manson Construction Company.  According to police, Usner recorded the alleged sexual encounter using the teen’s cellphone, which belonged to the victim’s late grandmother. Investigators allege the victim later sent the video to Meyers through the messaging app Telegram.  Meyers was arrested in February after Peters Township police accused him of orchestrating an online sextortion operation.  Investigators allege he used fake online identities to target at least 25 minors and manipulated them into sending sexually explicit images and videos. Usner remains in the Washington County Jail.  Court records show Usner was unable to post bail and is scheduled to appear before another judge for a preliminary hearing on August 18, 2026, at 1 p.m.  He is facing several charges, including statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and corruption of minors.  Meyers also faces multiple charges connected to the alleged sextortion investigation.  Police have said the investigation remains ongoing.