Man Pleads Guilty To Coercing Alexandria Girl In Sex Case

ALEXANDRIA, VA—A Pensacola, Fla. man pleaded guilty Thursday to coercing a 15-year-old Alexandria girl to have sex and send explicit media.

Federal prosecutors say Anthony C.A. Martin, 27, began communicating with the teen over Kik, an instant messaging app in 2016. He claimed to have been 19. In March 2017, they made plans for him to travel from Ohio to Virginia and have sex before taking her back to Ohio.

The two reportedly met in a hotel room in Alexandria and had sex before driving to Ohio, where he lived at the time. There, Martin asked her to send explicit photos and video, which she sent through Kik.

The girl returned to Alexandria, but Martin again traveled there in July 2017. They met at a different hotel in Alexandria and recorded their sexual intercourse on his cell phone, court documents say.

Martin pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on Sept. 7.

This investigation was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to fight child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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