A dentist in Arizona was arrested for allegedly having sexually explicit conversations with minors in other states, as well as sending them nude photos via a social media platform, according to multiple stories published on June 26.
Dr. Jonathan Lane Sanders.LinkedIn.
Dr. Jonathan Lane Sanders, 32, an associate dentist at Caffall Dental Care in Mesa, AZ, since 2020, is charged with multiple counts of knowingly receiving child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor, and transferring obscene matter to a minor. Sanders pleaded not guilty to charges during a court appearance on June 26.
Sanders allegedly had been chatting with more than 30 Discord accounts that appeared to belong to teenagers, including one as young as 13, in other states. Most of these conversations were not only sexually explicit but involved the exchange of images, including photos of male genitalia, according to the stories.
The FBI began investigating after Connecticut parents reported that their 15-year-old had been chatting online with an older man. Authorities reviewed the social media platform account and found that the man consistently claimed to be a 31-year-old dentist from Arizona. Further investigation revealed that the account was linked to IP addresses that were connected to Sanders, as well as a dental practice in Mesa.
Several of the conversations, which occurred between October 2024 and March 2025, included graphic descriptions of sexual acts. In one conversation with a user who claimed to be a 13-year-old girl, Sanders allegedly sent a long message that concluded with him asking her to be his girlfriend and saying, “I’d love to cuddle you,” according to the stories.
During one month, Sanders reportedly exchanged more than 1,800 messages with a Discord user who reported being 15. In some of the messages sent to various users, the dentist allegedly sent images of a penis, as well as an image of a person who was sitting in a dental office and resembled Sanders, according to the stories.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
