Group of Men Admit In Federal Court To Traveling Across State Lines To Have Sex With Children

0
1579

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that five different defendants appeared in federal court during the past week to plead guilty to traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of having sex with a minor.

“These are heinous crimes that prey on our most vulnerable,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “The five convictions obtained within just the last week demonstrate the high volume of these cases that we prosecute. We are working tirelessly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to protect our children from predators.”

On August 5, 2019, Bruce Ward, 34, of Huntington, West Virginia, pled guilty before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers to traveling in interstate commerce in order to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor. Ward admitted that during January 2019 he communicated via a social messaging application and text message with a minor he believed to be a 15-year-old girl in Huntington, West Virginia. During the conversations, Ward discussed arranging for the minor to meet him in order to engage in sexual intercourse. In late January 2019, Ward traveled from South Point, Ohio, to Huntington, West Virginia, to meet the purported minor to engage in sexual activity. Ward faces up to 30 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on November 18, 2019.

On August 7, 2019, Gary Wayne Lilly, 39, of Josephine, Raleigh County, West Virginia, pled guilty before United States District Judge Irene C. Berger to traveling in interstate commerce in order to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor. Lilly admitted that beginning in late May 2019 he communicated via a social messaging application and telephone with a minor he believed to be a 13-year-old girl in Bluefield. During the conversations, Lilly discussed meeting the minor female to engage in oral sex and sexual intercourse. On June 1, 2019, Lilly traveled from Josephine, West Virginia, to Bluefield, Virginia, to meet the purported 13-year-old minor. Lilly stopped in Princeton on his way to Bluefield in order to purchase condoms. Lilly faces up to 30 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on November 13, 2019.

On August 8, 2019, Johnathan Matthew Taylor, 24, of Chesapeake, Ohio, pled guilty before United States District Judge Irene C. Berger to traveling in interstate commerce in order to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor. Taylor admitted that on June 1, 2019, he communicated via a social messaging application with a minor he believed to be a 15-year-old girl he understood to be located in Bluefield, West Virginia. Despite knowing her age, Taylor discussed traveling to Bluefield from Ohio to meet the minor to engage in sexual intercourse, but the plans were canceled by the purported minor due to the late hour at which he would arrive. Two days later, on June 3, 2019, Taylor arranged to meet the minor female in Saint Albans, Kanawha County, West Virginia, in order to engage in sexual intercourse. On that same date he traveled from Chesapeake, Ohio to West Virginia, where he purchased condoms before arriving at the location to meet the purported 15-year-old female. Taylor faces up to 30 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on January 23, 2020.

On August 12, 2019, Kevin Lee Boston, 58, of Woodsfield, Ohio, pled guilty before United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin to traveling in interstate commerce in order to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor. Boston admitted that from on May 31, 2019 through June 5, 2019, he communicated via a social messaging application with a minor he believed to be a 14-year-old girl he understood to be located in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Despite knowing her age, Boston discussed traveling to Parkersburg from Ohio to meet the minor to engage in sexual intercourse. On June 5, 2019, Boston traveled from Woodsfield, Ohio to an arranged meeting location in Parkersburg in order to engage in sexual intercourse with the purported 14-year-old girl. Boston faces up to 30 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on November 4, 2019.

Also on August 12, 2019, Ryan Scott Kibble, 33, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, pled guilty before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber to traveling in interstate commerce in order to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor. Kibble admitted that on March 1, 2019, he began communicating via a social messaging application and text messages with a minor he believed to be a 14-year-old girl located in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Despite knowing her age, Kibble discussed meeting the minor to engage in sexual intercourse. On the evening of March 1, 2019, Kibble also spoke with the purported minor on the phone, further discussing plans to meet the next day in Parkersburg in order to engage in oral sex and sexual intercourse with the minor in his vehicle. On March 2, 2019, Kibble traveled from his work in Belpre, Ohio to an arranged meeting location in Parkersburg in order to engage in sexual intercourse with the purported 14-year-old girl. Per the terms of his plea agreement, Kibble will be sentenced to between 46 and 78 months in prison when he is sentenced on December 16, 2019.

Upon release from prison, all five defendants will be required to serve a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. They will also be required to register as sex offenders. The investigations were all conducted by the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force and the West Virginia States Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with additional assistance from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Parkersburg Police Department, and the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecutions.

Facebook Comments