Man Tried To Have Sex with Girls — Ages 13 And 14

MARIETTA, GA — A man from Alabama has pleaded guilty to charges that he attempted to lure young girls he met online to have sex with him in Georgia. In both cases, the girls — supposedly ages 13 and 14 — were actually undercover law enforcement officers.

Christopher Bradley Braden, 40, of Jasper, Ala., pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. He had been indicted on two charges in U.S. District Court for incidents that happened in 2016 and 2017.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 11.

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"Braden was lurking on the internet seeking to prey on young girls," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "On two separate occasions, the defendant drove for hours hoping to have sex with the girls. Thanks to the vigilance of our local law enforcement partners, Braden will be held accountable for his depraved conduct."

In November 2016, prosecutors say, Braden started communicating with someone he thought was a young girl on the cellphone app Meet24. She told him she was 13 and he immediately initiated sexual conversations, asking her about her body development and sexual experience and sending her a lewd video of himself.

He made arrangements to meet her on Dec. 1, 2016 in Marietta. When he showed up, he was met by two Marietta Police Department officers and was arrested. The girl was actually an undercover police officer.

Almost six months later, while out on bond, Braden met who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl on the same app. He again asked her sexual questions and sent her a lewd photograph of himself. This time, he arranged to meet her at a gas station in Bremen.

Even as he traveled to the gas station, he sent her a text message confirming that she was 14. Again, the supposed girl was a police officer. Near the station, he was pulled over and arrested by Bremen Police.

"The internet is a tool that has provided our society with many wonderful conveniences, however, the internet also has a dark side that sexual predators can use to prey on children," said Marietta Police Chief Dan Flynn. "This case is a good example of federal, state, and local law enforcement collaborating to counter criminal activity on the internet in order to protect our children."

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Marietta Police Department and the Bremen Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul R. Jones is prosecuting the case.

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