A 26-year-old New York man pleaded guilty Monday after authorities said he drove 8 hours to attempt to meet a 14-year-old Lynchburg girl.
Derrick Loi, 27, of Lakeville, New York, pled guilty to one count of coercion and enticement, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Virginia.
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At sentencing, Loi faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison, as well as a potential fine of up to $250,000.
“Protecting minors from online predators is a cornerstone priority for the Department of Justice,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said. “I am grateful to the FBI and the Lynchburg Police Department for their swift actions in this case and preventing a more dire situation.”
As we’ve previously reported, on Friday, Feb. 24 around 9 p.m., LPD said they responded to a home in the 1500 block of Brookville Circle after they said illicit communications were found between a man and a girl who lived inside the home.
During their initial investigation, authorities said they found a man from New York was on his way to meet up with the girl with illicit intentions.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Loi and the victim agreed that Loi would become the victim’s “sugar daddy” and that he would get unlimited access to sexually-explicit content of the victim for a weekly fee of $50, which would increase to $100 after the first month.
We’re told on Feb. 15, 2023, Loi sent the victim a payment in line with that agreement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said on Feb. 22, 2023, Loi and the victim began discussing plans for Loi to travel to meet the victim, including a discussion on specific sexual acts.
After reserving a hotel room in Lynchburg, Loi chatted periodically with the young girl throughout his drive from New York and also sent her a picture of items that he brought for their sexual encounter, according to officials.
Just as Loi arrived at the pre-arranged location, we’re told an officer from the Lynchburg Police Department drove up and began questioning Loi. Initially, Loi provided a false name and lied to law enforcement about why he was in Lynchburg.
We previously reported that authorities took Loi into custody less than a mile from the girl’s home with the help of her parents.