A Georgia man living in Long Island, N.Y., was sentenced today to 121 months in prison for traveling from New York to New Jersey to have sexual contact with a minor, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Richard J. Simone Jr., 23, of Acworth, Ga., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper in Trenton federal court to one count indictment charging him with traveling across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with a minor.
Simone has been in custody since his arrest in September 2013. Judge Cooper imposed the sentence in Trenton federal court.
Simone admitted that beginning in July 2013, he engaged in numerous graphic communications over the Internet with an individual he believed was the father of a 9-year-old girl. In those communications, Simone discussed having sex with the girl and her minor babysitter. The individual with whom he was corresponding was actually an undercover agent from the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and both of the minors were fictitious. On Sept. 13, 2013, Simone traveled from Long Island to Monmouth County for the purpose of having sex with the two minors.
Simone was arrested when he arrived at the location where he and the undercover had arranged to meet.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cooper sentenced Simone to five years of supervised release.
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