Georgia man charged with flying to Minnesota to have sex with 13-year-old girl

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Georgia man was charged Tuesday with traveling from the Atlanta, Georgia, area to the Twin Cities area to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.

These charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger, District of Minnesota. The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by the Twin Cities office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from HSI offices in Atlanta; Laredo, Texas; and San Jose, California.

John James Denicola, 55, of Suwanee, Georgia, was charged in a federal complaint with one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and one count of attempted coercion and enticement. Denicola made an initial appearance March 8 in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer. A detention hearing is expected to be held March 11.

“The sexual exploitation of children is a heinous crime,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. “According to the complaint, this 55-year-old defendant flew to Minnesota to have sex with an eighth grader. Working with our law enforcement partners, we are actively preventing predators from sexually exploiting vulnerable children and we will continue to prosecute those who attempt to engage in such activity to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to the criminal complaint and documents filed in court, Denicola, using the screen name “Johnnyman,” initiated a conversation Feb. 26 on teenchat.com with an undercover law enforcement officer who Denicola believed was a 13-year-old girl. During the conversation, Denicola asked the undercover agent questions of a sexual nature, sent a picture of himself, and told the agent that he had previously traveled to Nebraska to “meet a girl.” Denicola also told the agent that he would try to take time off from work to travel to the Twin Cities on March 7 to see the agent.

According to the criminal complaint and documents filed in court, Denicola repeatedly expressed concern to the undercover agent that “she” was a law enforcement officer. During the communications, the undercover agent repeatedly stated that “she” was a 13-year-old girl and an eighth grader.  During the Kik Messenger conversation, Denicola asked numerous questions about the undercover agent’s sexual experience and also indicated various sexual acts in which he wished to engage with “her.” The defendant also indicated to the undercover agent that he had previously had sex with three or four other young girls on separate occasions.

According to the criminal complaint and documents filed in court, Denicola and the undercover agent continued to message one another using Kik Messenger. On Feb. 29, Denicola sent the undercover agent the itinerary for his upcoming trip, indicating that he would fly March 7 from Atlanta to Minneapolis/St. Paul. The defendant indicated to the undercover agent that he would bring a video recording device and that he had booked a room at the Park Plaza Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.

According to the criminal complaint and documents filed in court, upon arrival in Minnesota, Denicola bought condoms and candles at a local Target store. He also went to a local florist and bought several bouquets of flowers and helium balloons that read “love you,” or words to that effect. Denicola was arrested inside the hotel room he had rented for his planned rendezvous. A video camera was found in Denicola’s room at the time of his arrest.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol M. Kayser, District of Minnesota.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

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-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.