Jaime Aaron Sousa, Attempted Enticement of a Minor, Louisiana 2021

Ponchatoula Man Sentenced in Federal Court for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

In a disturbing case of online predation, U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Jaime Aaron Sousa, age 28, of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, to 120 months in federal prison following his conviction for attempted enticement of a minor. The Court further sentenced Sousa to serve a period of five years supervised release, which includes sex offender registration requirements, following his term of imprisonment.

According to admissions made during his plea, in January 2021, Sousa utilized a social media application to communicate with and sexually pursue an individual whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Throughout his communications, Sousa sent sexually explicit messages and photographs to the purported minor, he pressured the purported minor to send him sexually explicit photographs, and he coerced the purported minor to meet him to engage in sexual activity.

Sousa then traveled to a location in Baton Rouge with the intent to engage in sexual activity with the purported minor, where he was ultimately arrested by federal and state law enforcement officials. The defendant’s actions are a clear example of the dangers of online predators and the importance of protecting our children from such threats.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations, Louisiana State Police, and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamie A. Flowers Jr., who also serves as Chief of the Criminal Division.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

The Grimy Times urges parents and guardians to be vigilant in monitoring their children’s online activity and to educate them on the dangers of online predators.

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