MARLBOROUGH, MA — A Marlborough man is facing a federal charge following an undercover investigation involving a person whom federal officials said he believed was a 15-year-old girl.
James Gill, 39, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Worcester on one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts. Prosecutors said Gill agreed to pay $150 to have sex with the purported minor.
Prosecutors said Gill responded to an advertisement posted by undercover law enforcement on a website commonly used to advertise commercial sex. During text messages and a phone call, an undercover agent posing as the girl's sister told Gill the minor was available for commercial sex acts, according to charging documents.
Gill asked for photographs of the purported minor, sent a nude photograph of himself to be shown to her and said he planned to record the encounter, according to the USAO. He was arrested when he arrived at a prearranged hotel, federal officials said.
Gill was first arrested by state authorities in April and charged by federal complaint in July. An arraignment on the indictment has not been scheduled.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
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