A gavel. (File photo courtesy UC Berkeley Law)
A San Diego man who adopted false identities in an attempt to solicit sexually explicit material from a Florida boy was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison.
Eric Jacob Layton, who also faces charges in San Diego related to multiple alleged underage victims, was sentenced Wednesday morning in federal court in the Southern District of Florida for trying to solicit a young amateur athlete who was 15 years old at the time.
Layton was arrested in 2023 at his University City home on allegations of posing as a doctor, sports reporter, massage therapist and youth sports modeling agent in order to obtain explicit photographs from minors and/or arrange in-person meetings, authorities said.
The FBI said Layton primarily targeted young athletes and that he reached out to the Florida boy via social media and direct calls.
Two of his online personas were a sports massage therapist named Travis Parkin and sports physician named Dr. Alexis Iniesta.
Layton pleaded guilty in August to a count of attempted enticement of a minor in the Florida case, first reported to the Plantation Police Department in Broward County. He pleaded not guilty in 2023 to the San Diego charges, which include felony counts of lewd acts on a child and contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber Tipline also received a report regarding the Florida case.
According to court documents, Layton initially claimed to be a writer for a sports publication who wanted to interview the boy, then later posed as a physician and asked a series of questions that he claimed were necessary for participation in his sport.
Many of the questions were explicit in nature, according to a factual proffer statement filed in connection with his plea agreement, which states Layton also sought pictures of the boy’s genitals that he claimed “were required to determine the minor victim’s physical development.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
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