Crime & Safety
Ex-Bellflower Man Faces Indictment on Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor Charges
Victor James Sporman was indicted with attempted sex trafficking of a child and using the Internet to lure a minor into sexual activity.
LOS ANGELES , CA -- A convicted sex offender who previously lived in Bellflower faces arraignment Jan. 3 on federal charges of attempted sex trafficking of a child for allegedly responding to an online advertisement that offered sex with a 15- year-old girl in exchange for $200.
Victor James Sporman, 46, who now lives in Long Beach, was named in a two-count indictment returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury in downtown Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The indictment charges Sporman with attempted sex trafficking of a child and using the Internet to induce a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Find out what's happening in Cerritos-Artesiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The case against Sporman is the result of an undercover operation in which federal authorities conducted an anti-sex trafficking operation in Long Beach by posting an ad Craigslist that was designed to attract individuals interested in engaging in commercial sex acts with minors.
"This defendant is charged with using the Internet to locate a child to rape in exchange for money," U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker said. "This indictment reflects conduct that is abhorrent in a civilized society, and is the latest example of my office's dedication to protecting vulnerable members of our society, especially children victimized by the sex trafficking industry."
Find out what's happening in Cerritos-Artesiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Oct. 26, Sporman responded to the ad via email and subsequently engaged in a series of text messages with an undercover agent he thought was a 15-year-old girl, the indictment alleges.
After agreeing to pay $200 to engage in sex with the "girl," he repeatedly texted photographs of himself, money and his genitals, prosecutors allege.
In preparation for the encounter on Dec. 6, Sporman purchased condoms, and when he arrived at the hotel to meet the girl, Sporman had $200 in his possession, as well as two condoms, according to the indictment.
Sporman was arrested at the hotel that day and was subsequently released on a $40,000 bond.
The charges in the indictment carry a total sentence of anywhere between 10 years and life in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
-- City News Service, photo credit: Sex Offender Registry
