British national admits traveling from England to Kentucky to sexually exploit minor

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A British national, who traveled from London to have sex with a minor who lived in eastern Kentucky, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday.

This guilty plea resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Kentucky State Police.

Solomon Blue Waters, 42, of London, England, pleaded guilty April 24 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward B. Atkins in the Eastern District of Kentucky to using the Internet to engage in sexual activity with a minor. The U.S. Attorney's Office and Waters agreed to a sentencing range of 135 to 168 months, pending the judge's approval. Waters is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 5.

According to the plea agreement, Waters admitted he developed an online relationship with the minor in 2011 and persuaded her to send him sexually explicit images of herself. Waters also encouraged the victim to communicate with him in sexual conversations. He planned to visit the minor in eastern Kentucky and he specifically described the sexual acts he would perform on the minor when meeting her.

On Aug. 27, 2012, Waters flew from London, England, to Lexington's Blue Grass Airport and was immediately arrested by HSI special agents and the Kentucky State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Marye, Eastern District of Kentucky, is prosecuting this case.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.