A 14-year-old girl in Virginia was rescued from an Arizona man’s apartment thanks in part to tracking her through her gaming account.
According to court documents, Ethan Roberts, 28, of Tolleson, Ariz., met a then 14-year-old juvenile from Norfolk online last year. Roberts engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the minor for a seven-month period, repeatedly asking her to create and send sexually explicit images of herself to him.
In August 2022, Roberts traveled by bus from Arizona to Norfolk. He picked up the minor and the pair traveled back to Roberts’ apartment in Arizona. The 14-year-old was rescued after tracking her location through a gaming account.
Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on April 19.
He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Mike Goldsmith, Interim Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yusi is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.
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Crystal Graham
