Plymouth Boy Sexually Enticed Over PlayStation, Facebook: Prison For Predator

BOSTON, MA — A 28-year-old Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 12 years in prison Thursday for sexually enticing a 9-year-old Plymouth boy over PlayStation and Facebook. Robert Rang, 28, of Coaldale, was also sentenced to 15 years of supervised release following his sentencing hearing in federal court in Boston. He found found guilty in July of coercion and enticement of a minor.

The boy's grandmother contacted police in October 2014 after finding sexually explicit messages from Rang on the child's iPod. Rang planned to visit Massachusetts in person to meet the boy, authorities said. (Subscribe to free daily newsletters and breaking news alerts from Plymouth Patch.)

"Further investigation revealed that Rang had been communicating with the child for months via PlayStation, telephone and Facebook," Acting U.S. Attorney William Weinreb said in a statement. "During that time, Rang sent the child gift cards to make PlayStation-related purchases. Over the course of several months, Rang asked the child to masturbate with him and send him naked pictures; the child refused Rang’s requests."

Police said they raided Rang's home in December 2014 and found sexually explicit images of other boys from New York and Kentucky. He has a previous conviction for "corruption of minors" out of Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania.

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