Baton Rouge Man Sentenced to 170 Months for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Possession of Child Pornography

United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Robert James Lowry, age 41, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 170 months in federal prison following his convictions for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography.  Following his term of imprisonment, Lowry will have to serve 8 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender for life. 

According to admissions made during his plea, on June 21, 2021, Lowry began communicating with an FBI undercover agent (UC) who was posing as a stepdad of a 10-year-old female through a social media application's direct messenger feature.  Lowry expressed an interest in engaging in sexual activity with the minor.  From June 22, 2021, through June 30, 2021, Lowry began communicating with the UC over a second social media application.  During these communications, Lowry again expressed interest in engaging in sexual activity with the minor and asked the UC to send a picture of her.  On June 30, 2021, Lowry asked if he could meet the stepdaughter that evening and arranged to meet at a location designated by UC in Baton Rouge.  Lowry was arrested when he showed up at the designated location.  After being contacted by law enforcement and ordered to show his hands, Lowry put his hands outside the vehicle and stated, "I wasn't going to do it."  During an interview after being arrested, Lowry admitted that he intended to have sex with the minor on the evening of June 30, 2021.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, and the Louisiana State Police.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eli J. Abad.

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.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.