Texas man sentenced after traveling to Virginia for sex with girl
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — A Texas man was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years in prison after he was caught traveling to Virginia to have sex with a 15-year-old girl.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) said 25-year-old Elisha Jason Albert was sentenced on Thursday, months after pleading guilty to production of child pornography and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, among other related charges.
According to court documents, Albert started talking with the 15-year-old girl through Snapchat on Aug. 25, 2023. He solicited pornographic content from her and paid her for photos. He also sent her spending money for “incidental expenses.”
On Sept. 8, 2023, Albert falsely told the girl he was 22, and she told him he was 15. Despite knowing she was a minor, Albert continued to ask for pornographic photos of her and suggested meeting her in Virginia for sex.
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The girl’s guardian submitted a tip to the FBI on Sept. 22, 2023, leading the FBI to take custody of her phone and continue to talk with Albert over Snapchat and by text. They arranged to meet at a grocery store in Haymarket on Sept. 25, 2023.
Albert drove five and a half hours from Long Island, N.Y. to Prince William County. He was arrested upon his arrival in the grocery store parking lot.
At the time, his phone had a folder titled “good videos” with 64 videos of children as young as 4 to 6 years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Albert’s messages also showed he was talking with children between 15 and 16 years old.
The texts included child sexual abuse material and incidents of coercion and enticement, according to the USAO.
One instance showed Albert talking with a victim in Texas in August 2021. She was only 15 years old. He had driven to her house and had sex with her multiple times.
Albert recorded one of his sexual encounters with her, which still was on his phone at the time of his arrest.
Albert pleaded guilty to the charges against him on Feb. 1.
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