CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Harrisonburg, the Albemarle County Police Department and the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led to a North Carolina man pleading guilty to one count of traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in sexually illicit activities.
Conspirator told his minor victim that he was 16 years old.
Rayvon Birden, 26, of Raleigh, North Carolina, entered the guilty plea on March 13 at the U.S. District Court in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“Rayvon Birden is not only a sexual predator, but he displayed a disturbing level of deception,” said HIS Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon. “The fact that he was willing to travel across state lines to support his disturbing proclivities prove that Birden posed a serious threat to any child he could mislead on the internet. HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to work tirelessly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to rid our communities of such deviant criminals.”
According to the investigation, Birden lied about his age to a 14-year-old girl he met on an internet social media site before traveling to Virginia to have sex with her. He contacted the minor victim through an internet direct messaging application and represented himself as a 16-year-old boy named “Nolan.”
Birden and the victim exchanged phone numbers and began communicating via text messages and video messaging regularly. Over the course of their conversations, Birden masturbated in front of the victim and, on at least one occasion, asked for nude photographs of her, which the victim sent via text messaging.
Birden then drove from his home in North Carolina to meet the victim at a hotel near her Virginia home where they had sexual intercourse on multiple occasions, at least one of which Birden filmed.
As part of his plea agreement, Birden and the government agreed to a sentencing between 78 and 120 months in prison. He will be required to register as a convicted sex offender upon his release.
HSI Harrisonburg, the Albemarle County Police Department and the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia.
Anyone with information regarding sexual crimes against children is encouraged to call the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP (877-447-4847). The HSI Tip Line is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Learn more about HSI’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSI_DC.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.