Man gets 14-year term for coercing girls into sex acts
A Henderson man was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison Thursday for using MySpace to coerce young girls into having sex with him, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office.
Scott Vernon, 26, also received lifetime supervised release in the sentencing by U.S. District Judge Edward C. Reed.
Vernon pleaded guilty in June to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
He admitted to police that he created his MySpace account with the sole intent of meeting underage girls. He told authorities he met about 20 minors through the social networking website, including two who performed oral sex on him, the release said. A search of his computer yielded hundreds of online chats with several girls, prosecutors said.
He was arrested in June 2010 after setting up a meeting with an undercover Henderson police detective posing as an underage girl.
Vernon was 25 when he sent a friend request to a 13-year-old girl claiming he was 17 years old on his profile, according to the release. The girl's mother accepted the request and contacted the Henderson police when she realized he was pursuing her daughter for sex.
Posing as the girl, the detective communicated with Vernon, who asked about her sexual experience, requested a revealing picture and wanted to meet her for an encounter, according to the release. A meeting was set up at a local park, and Vernon was arrested when he arrived.
Contact Jessica Fryman at jfryman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.
