A North Carolina man who deceived a 14-year-old girl on Instagram about his age before traveling to Virginia to engage in sexual activity with her has been sentenced to 150 months in federal prison.
Rayvon Birden, 29, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pleaded guilty in March to one count of traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
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According to court documents, Birden contacted the 14-year-old victim through Instagram direct messages, falsely claiming to be a 16-year-old named “Nolan.” The two began communicating regularly through text messages and Facetime, during which time Birden received nude images of the minor and expressed his desire to meet her in person and engage in sexual intercourse.
Birden then drove from North Carolina to Virginia, where he met the victim at a hotel near her home. They engaged in sexual intercourse on multiple occasions, at least one of which Birden recorded.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., announced the sentencing.
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The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in collaboration with the Albemarle County Police Department and the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
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