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Federal officials say that Marcus Douglas, 53, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in August last year to the charge following an incident in July 2021.
According to the Department of Justice, in 2021, Douglas approached a 14-year-old girl he saw walking on a sidewalk in downtown DC when he placed a note on her cell phone suggesting that he wanted to pay her to engage in sexual activity with him.
The note contained his first name, Marcus, and his cell phone number.
Prosecutors say that the girl immediately went to a nearby firehouse and reported the incident, and members of the Metropolitan Police Department responded and traced the phone number provided to Douglas.
Using that number, an undercover officer initiated a text conversation with Douglas, posing as the 14-year-old girl.
During that conversation with what Douglas believed to be a minor, prosecutors said that he sought pictures of the girl, told her about his sexual fantasies, and asked for an opportunity to meet the teen in person.
A location for the meeting was discussed, and when Douglas arrived at the set location, he was arrested by police without further incident.
In addition to his prison term, a judge also ordered that that Douglas serve 10 years of supervise release and register as a sex offender for 25 years. He was also ordered to pay nearly $37,000 in restitution.
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