San Diego Man Indicted In Sexual Abuse Of 15-Year-Old Girl

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A San Diego man who traveled last month to Virginia to have sex with a 15-year-old girl was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday on multiple charges, including sexual abuse of a minor, according to court records.

Tyler Valenzia, 27, is accused of engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the girl between March 13, 2025, and Jan. 19, 2026, according to the indictment, which was entered in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Valenzia is also charged with two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity; three counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct; and four counts of transportation of sexually explicit images of minors, according to the indictment.

All of the charges are felonies.

A suspect who is found guilty for the first time of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, under U.S. law.

Valenzia is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. on Feb. 18, at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.

The FBI began investigating Valenzia after the victim's father notified the sheriff's office in Loudoun County, Virginia on Nov. 19, 2025 that he found alarming messages, including nude images, on his 15-year-old daughter's phone, according to an affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

RELATED: San Diego Man Traveled To Virginia To Have Sex With 15-Year-Old Girl: FBI

The victim told investigators in December that Valenzia first contacted her via the TikTok app around March 13, 2025, according to the court records. The next day they moved their conversation to Snapchat.

The following April, Valenzia flew from San Diego to Virginia to meet the girl, according to court records. After picking her up at Dulles Town Center mall in Sterling, Virginia, they drove to a nearby hotel where they engaged in sexual intercourse.

In July 2025, Valenzia flew from San Diego to Illinois, where the teen was visiting family. The girl snuck out of the house and met Valenzia, who drove her to a nearby Airbnb, where they had sex, court records say.

An FBI special agent posing as the minor victim began communicating with Valenzia on Dec. 22, according to the affidavit.

During a Jan. 17, 2026 conversation, Valenzia indicated that he was visiting family in Glen Burnie, Maryland, according to the FBI. He and the undercover agent agreed to meet at the Dulles Town Center just as they had the previous April.

Three days later, Valenzia drove a rental car from Maryland to the mall in Virginia, where he was arrested as he entered Macy's just before 4 p.m., according to investigators.