David George Hopkins, Traveling for Sex with Minor, Oregon 2019

San Diego Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Traveling to Have Sex with Minor in Oregon

EUGENE, Ore.—David George Hopkins, 61, a San Diego, California resident, was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison and a life term of supervised release for traveling with the intent to engage in sex with a minor and other related charges, announced the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon.

Hopkins was previously convicted at trial in February 2019 on one count each of attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, attempting to coerce or entice a minor, traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and transferring of obscene material to a minor.

According to court documents and information shared at trial, on June 9, 2017, Hopkins traveled from San Diego to Portland, Oregon, believing he would be able to have sex with a 13-year-old girl named Paula along with her mother, Norma, and her mother’s friend, Ana, with whom he had been chatting online.

Hopkins and Ana began chatting online in 2012, and during one of the conversations, Hopkins raised the topic of having sex with a minor female in Peru and sent Ana a photo of what was purportedly him receiving oral sex from a minor. This behavior was not a fantasy, as Hopkins claimed, but a real intention.

Concerned by the information shared with her, Ana reported Hopkins to the Eugene Police Department, who referred the matter to the FBI. In March 2017, Ana met with an FBI Special Agent and agreed to cooperate with an investigation of Hopkins.

Hopkins was arrested at Portland International Airport upon his arrival on June 9, 2017. His luggage was searched, and he had brought with him stockings and underwear for Paula. His claims of abusing children have not been corroborated.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Eugene Police Department. It was prosecuted by Amy Potter and Jeff Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

David George Hopkins, 61, of San Diego, California, was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison and a life term of supervised release for traveling with the intent to engage in sex with a minor. He will also serve a lifetime of supervised release.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant: David George Hopkins, Criminal Charges: Attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, attempting to coerce or entice a minor, traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and transferring of obscene material to a minor, City and State: Eugene, Oregon, Date: June 9, 2017, Sentence: 200 months in federal prison and a life term of supervised release.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/san-diego-man-sentenced-16-years-federal-prison-traveling-portland-sex-minor