Social Media Predator Sentenced to Life in Prison
On September 18, 2026, in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Visalia man Tyler Vai See, age 23, to 40 years to life in state prison for extorting and threatening minors for sex.
The crimes began in the fall of 2023. Using popular social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok, See would contact young girls, some as young as 10 years old, and ask for lewd photographs or to meet up at locations throughout Tulare County for sexual purposes. In these messages, See would falsely portray himself as a teenage boy. In some instances, he would gain a victim’s trust enough to talk by phone. When some victims refused his advances, See would threaten to harm them and their families or expose their conversations and photos to friends. In addition to photos and conversations, See would send lewd videos of himself to the girls. Videos discovered on See’s phone confirmed sex acts with two of the minors.
On August 24, 2024, See arranged a meetup with a 13-year-old girl for sex acts behind a school in Orosi. See was not aware that the victim’s family discovered the private Instagram messages between the two and they themselves arranged the meetup. When See arrived at the location, he sped away and struck a car. He was apprehended by the family and turned over to law enforcement.
“What led to this conviction is nothing short of every parent’s nightmare. To think these vulnerable young girls in our communities were subjected to this disgusting predator’s advances for over a year is frightening and should remind everyone to set boundaries with our children’s access to social media,” said Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward.
On March 19, 2026, See pleaded no contest to 12 felony charges against 12 victims – three counts of lewd act upon a child under the age of fourteen against three separate victims with the special allegation that the crimes occurred against multiple victims, one count of lewd act upon a child between the ages of fourteen and fifteen against a fourth female victim, one count of meeting a minor for a sexual purpose against a single female victim, one count of attempted extortion against a separate female victim, and six counts of contacting a minor for a sexual offense against six separate female victims.
In addition to his sentence, See must register as a sex offender for life. The court also imposed a 10-year criminal protective order against See from contacting his victims.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Chelsea Wayt and was investigated by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Communications Director Stuart Anderson (559) 636-5494