Virginia man sentenced to 16 years in prison for exploiting teenage girl; tried to meet her in Minnesota
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Virginia man will spend 16 years in prison for using social media to coerce a teenage girl into creating sexually explicit material, according to U.S. Department of Justice.
The man was sentenced in federal court Friday after pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography in October. The justice department says the prison sentence will be followed by 20 years of supervised release.
According to federal officials, the 42-year-old man from Centreville, Virginia had sexually-focused conversations with the girl on social media between November of 2023 and February of 2024. The girl was between 13 and 14 years old.
The man coerced the girl to send him sexually explicit images and videos on Instagram. He also enticed the girl by sending her gifts, the justice department says.
He flew from Virginia to Minnesota on Feb. 17, 2024 to try and see the girl, but Her family and law enforcement intervened, so he flew back to Virginia.
The man was arrested in Fairfax City, Virginia in July.
If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.
