NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – In a disturbing case of child exploitation, 33-year-old Graham Lovelace of Greenville, South Carolina, has pleaded guilty to traveling interstate with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a 15-year-old minor.
According to court documents, Lovelace met the minor in October 2021 on an Xbox game and began a sexually explicit online correspondence. Over the course of 2020 and 2021, the two made plans to engage in sexual acts, with Lovelace requesting and receiving explicit images and videos of the minor via a video messaging application.
In January 2021, Lovelace purchased a bus ticket for the minor to travel from New Orleans to Greenville, South Carolina. However, the minor’s mother intervened, informing Lovelace of the minor’s age and preventing the minor from leaving Louisiana.
Undeterred, Lovelace and the minor made plans for Lovelace to travel to Louisiana, where they stayed in a hotel room and engaged in sexual intercourse on October 6, 2021. The following day, they were found walking hand-in-hand down Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Lovelace faces a maximum term of imprisonment of up to 30 years, followed by a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of a lifetime of supervised release. He may also be required to pay a $250,000 fine and register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg and Melissa Bücher will prosecute the case.
Lovelace is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, August 18, 2022, before Judge Milazzo. The mandatory $100 special assessment fee will be required at sentencing.
Related Federal Cases
- Graham Lovelace, Interstate Travel for Illicit Sexual Conduct, Louisiana 2022 · South Carolina
- James Johnson, Child Sex Trafficking, Louisiana 2022 · South Carolina
- Frankie Maldonado, Child Pornography Production, Louisiana 2024 · South Carolina
- Covington Man Charged with Child Sex Abuse Materials · Oklahoma
- Raceland Man Charged With Child Sex Exploitation · Georgia
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Sex CrimesSex CrimesSex CrimesSex Crimes