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Derrick Loi, of Lakeville, NY this week pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia.
In February 2023, Loi met a 14-year-old girl from Lynchburg on Twitter (now known as X), and, in the early morning hours of Feb. 14, 2023, began chatting with her on Discord, the attorney's office said citing court documents.
Loi told the young girl not only was he was interested in buying sexually explicit images and videos of her, but also wanted to meet her in person to have sex.
Loi agreed to pay the victim $300 to have sex and to provide sexually explicit images.
Loi and the victim agreed that Loi would become the victim’s “sugar daddy” and that he would get unlimited access to sexually-explicit content of the victim for a weekly fee of $50, which would increase to $100 after the first month. On Feb. 15, 2023, Loi sent the victim a payment in line with that agreement, authorities said.
On Feb. 22, 2023, Loi and the victim began discussing plans for Loi to travel to meet the victim, including a discussion on specific sex acts and how he would film them, authorities said.
After reserving a hotel room in Lynchburg, Loi chatted periodically with the young girl throughout his 8-hour drive from New York and also took time to send her a picture of items that he brought for their sexual encounter, according to federal officials.
Just as Loi arrived at the pre-arranged location, an officer from the Lynchburg Police Department drove up and began questioning Loi. Initially, Loi gave a false name and lied to police about why he was in Lynchburg.
A subsequent search of Loi’s vehicle revealed sex toys, a box of the morning-after pill Plan B, and the bottle of pink vodka from an earlier photo that Loi had sent to the victim. The trunk of the car contained a large yellow plastic storage bag and was lined with a vinyl or rubber shower liner, on top of which sat a flattened cardboard box.
At sentencing, Loi faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison, as well as a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and the Lynchburg Police Department provided vital assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
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