A man from a Washington, D.C., suburb coaxed a young teenager in Minneapolis to send him sexually explicit images, then traveled hundreds of miles in hopes of meeting her, according to charges.
Charges: Man from D.C. area coaxed Minnesota middle school girl to send him sexually explicit images
He flew to Minnesota to meet the young teenage girl, but the encounter didn’t occur, according to prosecutors.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
July 18, 2024 at 3:03PM
Raymond Jung Woo Choi, 41, of Centreville, Va., was charged in U.S. District Court in Minnesota with production of child pornography, receiving child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor.
Choi was arrested near his home Saturday in Fairfax, appeared in federal court Monday in Alexandria, Va., and remains in custody ahead of further proceedings in Minnesota. A message was left with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.
According to court documents, Choi used Instagram and other social media apps to engage in sexual conversations with the girl, who was in middle school at the time. He used the alias “Jason Lee” while coercing her to send him sexually explicit images and videos on Instagram.
He also “groomed and enticed” the girl by shipping gifts to her, a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota read.
On Feb. 17, Choi flew to Minnesota but “because of family and law enforcement intervention” he failed to see the teenager and flew back to Virginia, the statement said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota did not say where in Minnesota the girl lived, but its statement did note that the investigation was assisted by the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office.
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