Texas Man Charged with Online Enticement of a Minor and Traveling to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Sacramento Minor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Christopher L. Crawford, 36, of Houston, Texas, charging him with online enticement of a minor and traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to the indictment, between March 7, 2017, and April 21, 2017, Crawford enticed a minor online to engage in sexual activity, and between April 18, 2017, and April 21, 2017, Crawford traveled from Harris County in Texas to Sacramento County for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Internet Against Crimes Against Children Task Force, a federally and state-funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department with agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Sacramento ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosanne Rust is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of the federal charges, Crawford faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.