St. Louis Man Admits Bringing 12-Year-Old from Michigan to St. Louis for Sex

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man on Monday admitted driving a 12-year-old from Michigan to Missouri, where he engaged in illegal sex acts with her.

Harold Paul White, 56, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of interstate travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He admitted meeting the girl on social media and driving to Michigan to pick her up. White engaged in illegal sex acts with the minor at his apartment and recorded those acts with a phone. When the victim realized that she had been reported missing, White bought her a bus ticket home.

White is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31. Both sides have agreed to recommend 15 years in prison.

The FBI and local police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. For more information, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.