ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a Georgia man who committed sex crimes with a 15-year-old Missouri girl to 200 months in prison.
Carlan Travis Penney Jr., now 46, pleaded guilty in October to coercion and enticement of a minor and transportation of a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. He admitted meeting the 15-year-old online and exchanging nude photos with her. Penney then rented a car, drove to Missouri and picked the girl up. Penney tried to destroy her laptop and phone to conceal his crime and brought the victim to Georgia, where he engaged in sexual activity with her.
The teen’s family alerted the local sheriff’s office when she went missing, and the sheriff’s office enlisted the assistance of the FBI. FBI special agents learned that the teen had been in contact with Penney, and investigators rescued her from a home belonging to Penney’s family.
After his release from prison, Penney will be on supervised release for life.
“Carlan Penney Jr. attempted to conceal his identity and cover his tracks, including destroying and discarding the victim’s mobile devices. Still, the FBI found the victim’s location in Georgia within 24 hours,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “We want to thank again the Worth County and Crisp County Sheriff’s Offices for recovering the girl safely after Penney refused to comply with orders for more than half an hour.”
The FBI’s St. Louis Division, FBI Atlanta’s Albany Resident Agency, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Worth County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office and the Crisp County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Missouri — U.S. Department of Justice press release.