Zhijun Xia, Child Enticement, Nebraska 2021

Lincoln, Nebraska - In a shocking turn of events, Zhijun Xia, a 30-year-old graduate student from China, has pleaded guilty to Child Enticement in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska.

According to the FBI, Xia met Victim 1's mother in 2018 and was hired to tutor Victim 1 in the Chinese language. However, Xia's intentions were far from innocent. Between June 2018 and February 2020, Xia began inquiring about Victim 1's sexual history over the social media application WeChat.

On July 10, 2018, Victim 1 attended a summer camp at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Xia messaged Victim 1 over the Internet using WeChat about his plan to visit her in Lincoln on July 11. During this conversation, Xia discussed various forms of birth control with Victim 1 in response to Victim 1's fears of becoming pregnant while in high school.

Xia's actions led to a devastating outcome. On July 11, 2018, Xia picked up Victim 1 from the University of Nebraska campus and took her to the Red Roof Inn, where he subjected Victim 1 to sexual penetration. Xia was 27 years of age and Victim 1 was 15 years of age, a crime under Nebraska State law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Omaha Police Department, the University of Nebraska-Omaha Police Department, and the Lincoln Police Department.

Zhijun Xia's sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 23, 2021, at 1:30 pm in front of Chief United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard. Coercion and Enticement of a Minor is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, both imprisonment and a fine, a special assessment of $5,000, and a term of supervised release of no less than 5 years up to a lifetime term of supervised release.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ne/pr/graduate-student-pleads-guilty-child-enticement