Jeffrey Weber, 59, of Seaford, New York, was arrested yesterday after attempting to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex in Manhattan, federal prosecutors announced. The self-described home-school tutor was taken into custody at a diner on the Upper West Side, where he believed he would meet the girl for a sexual encounter. Instead, he was met by federal agents and NYPD detectives.
The charges stem from a weeks-long series of sexually explicit emails and text messages between Weber and an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a minor. Between January 30 and February 14, 2018, Weber allegedly discussed graphic sexual acts he intended to perform on the girl. He also detailed plans to meet her at a diner and then proceed to her nearby apartment for sexual activity. In one message, Weber identified himself as a tutor working with at-risk youth in their homes.
According to the federal complaint filed in Manhattan, Weber initiated contact through an online platform where he believed he was corresponding with a 13-year-old girl. The messages quickly turned predatory, with Weber expressing eagerness to engage in illegal sexual conduct. He confirmed travel plans to Manhattan and arrived at the designated diner on February 14, where he was arrested by NYPD’s Computer Crime Squad.
Geoffrey S. Berman, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated: “As alleged, Jeffrey Weber, a home-school tutor who has constant interaction with children, made arrangements through text messaging and emails to meet with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity. Thankfully he was corresponding with an undercover law enforcement officer and not a young girl, but his alleged intentions are no less insidious.”
NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill emphasized the real-world threat posed by such online predators: “The suspect in this case—a 59-year-old Long Island man—is accused of sending sexually-explicit texts and emails to an investigator posing as a 13-year-old girl. But this crime wasn’t confined to cyberspace. The man was arrested yesterday at a diner in Manhattan, where his plan was to meet the underage girl and take her elsewhere for sex.”
Jeffrey Weber is charged with one count of attempted enticement of a minor, a federal offense carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Loss of the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Weber was presented before United States Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman. The charges are allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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- Adrian Smith, 21, Charged in Minor Sex Trafficking Attempt · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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