LOUISVILLE, KY – A New Albany, Indiana man who used the Internet to induce a minor female to engage in sexual activity and transported her across state lines for illegal sexual purposes has pled guilty in United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The defendant, Robert L. Real, III, age 21, entered his guilty pleas before United States District Court Judge John G. Heyburn, II, yesterday, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.
According to the plea agreement, Real admitted that he had communicated with a 14-year-old female on Badoo.com, picked her up from her home in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and transported her back to his residence in Indiana. He further admitted that at his residence in Indiana, he engaged in sexual activity with the minor, including intercourse. The next day, he left the girl at a bowling alley in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The two began their online communications in early May 2012.
The 14-year-old had been reported missing to the Louisville Metro Police Department by her parents on June 8, 2012. The minor’s parents learned that she had been communicating with an adult, “Robert,” who lived in Indiana on a social networking website called Badoo.com. The FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force was notified of the incident and initiated an investigation.
After speaking with the minor on June 11, 2012, a law enforcement official interviewed the minor&rsquos parents. The parents gave consent to review the family computer and the minor&rsquos laptop for additional evidence. From the computer, law enforcement officials observed messages between &ldquoRobert&rdquo and the minor that had occurred on Badoo.com. There were over 2,500 messages between &ldquoRobert&rdquo and the minor. Excerpts of the communications may be found in the attached plea agreement.
At sentencing, Real faces a combined minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a combined maximum term of imprisonment of life, a combined maximum fine of $500,000, and supervised release of at least five years and could be any number of years, including life.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 28, 2013, at 1:30 p.m., in United States District Court, Louisville, before Judge Heyburn.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless and was investigated by the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.