Home N.C. man used Instagram to connect, have sex with 14-year-old Virginia girl
Public Safety, Virginia

N.C. man used Instagram to connect, have sex with 14-year-old Virginia girl

Crystal Graham
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A North Carolina man who met a 14-year-old girl on Instagram, and traveled to Virginia to have sex with her multiple times, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville on Wednesday.

Rayvon Birden, 26, of Raleigh, N.C., told the victim he was 16 years old. He pled guilty to one count of traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in sexually illicit conduct.

As part of Birden’s plea agreement, he will be sentenced to 78 to 120 months in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.

A search of online case information in Virginia shows Birden has faced similar charges dating back to 2015 in the Commonwealth.

According to court documents, Birden contacted the victim through Instagram direct messaging and represented himself as a 16-year-old named “Nolan.”

Birden and the victim exchanged phone numbers and began communicating via text messages and Facetime regularly.

Over the course of their conversations, Birden masturbated in front of the victim and, on at least one occasion, asked for nude photographs of her, which the victim sent via text message.

Birden then drove from his home in North Carolina to meet the victim at a hotel near her Virginia home where they had sexual intercourse on multiple occasions, at least one of which Birden filmed.

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.