Stafford Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Arrange Sex with a Minor

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Justin Frank Clark, 28, formerly of Stafford, pleaded guilty yesterday to attempting to coerce and entice a minor.

According to court documents, from April through May, Clark responded to an online ad posted by an undercover agent, claiming to advertise a ten-year-old girl for sex. Through a series of emails and messages, Clark arranged to travel from Stafford to Washington, D.C., to have sex with the minor. While arranging the meeting, Clark also sent multiple videos containing child pornography to the undercover agent.

Clark faces a mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced on September 16. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and David P. Decatur, Stafford County Sheriff, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Dougherty Russell is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-157.