A New Jersey man has been sentenced for traveling to Virginia to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Royce DeWeese, 26, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(b).
The crime took place between March and May 2013, when DeWeese communicated over the Internet with an undercover HSI agent. He made a plan with the undercover agent to travel to Fairfax, Va. in order to engage in sexual activity with the undercover’s supposed 10-year-old daughter. On May 14, 2013, DeWeese did travel from New Jersey to Fairfax, Va., where law enforcement arrested him.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Northern Virginia-District of Columbia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Alicia J. Yass, a Trial Attorney with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the U.S. Justice Department’s Criminal Division, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
DeWeese faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for December 6, 2013. 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.
Defendant/Respondent: Royce DeWeese
Criminal Charges: Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(b)
City and State: Fairfax, Virginia
Date: May 14, 2013 (Arrest Date)
Sentence or Outcome: Faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for December 6, 2013
Related Federal Cases
- James A. Diggs, Traveling to Engage in Criminal Sexual Conduct, New Jersey 2023 · Washington
- Mark Black, Online Child Exploitation, Virginia 2023 · District of Columbia
- David A. Marshall Jr., Assaulting Law Enforcement, Virginia 2021 · District of Columbia
- Virginia U.S. Attorney Collects $156M in Criminal and Civil Actions · Florida
- Shawn Price, Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct, New Jersey 2021 · District of Columbia
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- 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