A Fairmont man was sentenced to five life terms on federal charges of for using his smart phone to convince minors to send explicit pictures and videos, according ot a press release from Bill Powell, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Quionte Jordan Crawford, 27, of Fairmont, also known as “Kayla Stevens,” pled guilty to five counts of “enticement of a minor” in June 2019. Crawford admitted to using his smart phone to persuade five teenage boys to send sexually explicit pictures and videos to him. The crimes took place from November 2017 through December 2018 in Marion County.
“The defendant’s conduct was reprehensible and directed at children,” Powell said in the release. “Unfortunately, technology provides many options for those with evil intent. The defendant will now spend the rest of his life in a place where he cannot continue the vile activities he orchestrated.”
Crawford preyed on teenagers by using a fake persona and picture of a teenage girl to attract their attention and to coerce them into sharing the inappropriate pictures and videos, the release said. Crawford used threats at times to gain the explicit materials.
“Crawford deftly, and sometimes cruelly, employed emotional and psychological coercion in order to obtain gratification for his sexual interests,” Powell said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Perri prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bridgeport Police Department investigated. U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood: justice.gov/psc/.
