Maryland Man Nabbed for Sick Child Sex Trip

WASHINGTON – A Maryland man was slapped with federal charges for allegedly peddling in child sex crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Nathaniel Lamar Nelson Scott, 35, of Bowie, Maryland, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, a crime punishable by up to 30 years’ imprisonment. The indictment, unsealed today, alleges that Scott traveled into the District of Columbia from Maryland with a motivating purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a six-year-old child.

According to the indictment, in late May 2024, a member of the MPD–FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force posted a message on a website that is frequented by individuals who have a sexual interest in children. Scott contacted the undercover officer, who he believed was the father of a six-year-old girl, and in the days that followed engaged in graphic conversations about sexually abusing the child.

On June 5, 2024, Scott arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child. He traveled from Maryland to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C., and was arrested. Scott has remained in custody since his arrest.

This case is being brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, a nationwide effort to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD, investigated the case.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney. “An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” officials warned.

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