A Long Beach man has entered a guilty plea to federal charges after transporting a 14-year-old girl he met on Reddit across state lines to engage in sexual activity. Trevon Nathaniel Langstaff, 33, was taken into custody in March at his apartment where the minor was found, as reported by KTLA. Langstaff admitted to driving from California to Peoria, Arizona to meet the girl, despite knowing she was underage, and then taking her back to his home in Long Beach.
Upon their return to California, Langstaff engaged in criminal sexual activity with the minor. The investigation, which involved both the FBI and Long Beach Police Department, revealed explicit images on Langstaff's phone. One of these images "appeared to portray two children engaged in sexually explicit activity," as per details from the U.S. Department of Justice. The arrest followed a report from the girl's family, who had searched their neighborhood and spoken to her friends before learning of her interaction with an individual online.
"Every day, sexual predators use the internet’s relative anonymity to prey on vulnerable youth," United States Attorney Martin Estrada emphasized. He warned that such predators should be aware of the determination of his office to utilize all available tools to bring them to justice. "Would-be predators should be aware that my office will use all of its tools to bring them to justice, and, as today’s sentence shows, the consequences will be severe," Estrada stated.
The case, prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathrynne N. Seiden of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, has led to Langstaff's continuous federal custody since March 27. He now faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for March 7, 2025, by United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha. Public information officer Ciaran McEvoy has been the point of contact for further details on this case, according to information obtained from the Justice Department.
