A New York man has been busted by the feds for allegedly traveling to Massachusetts to rape a 13-year-old girl.<\/p>\n
Queens man Andre Jamal Bennett, 33, was charged with interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.<\/p>\n
Bennett \u2014 who\u2019s employed by Delta Air Lines as a ground controller at JFK International Airport \u2014 allegedly created social media accounts using the fictitious name \u201cChris.\u201d<\/p>\n
Using the accounts, he\u2019s accused of falsely presenting himself as a 16-year-old boy to contact the girl.<\/p>\n
Then Bennett last November took a flight from New York City to Boston. Upon landing in Boston, Bennett allegedly contacted the girl, told her that he was in the area, and coerced her into meeting him in person.<\/p>\n
When Bennett met the girl, who still believed he was a 16-year-old boy, Bennett allegedly wore a hooded sweatshirt that concealed his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the charging documents, Bennett then brought the minor victim to a hotel and raped her,\u201d the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney\u2019s office wrote. \u201cBennett also allegedly recorded the sexual assault on his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing the encounter, Bennett allegedly continued to contact the minor victim through social media over the course of several months and sought to entice her to meet with him again, including by offering to pay her,\u201d the feds added. \u201cThe minor victim refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bennett was arrested on Monday in the Eastern District of New York, and remained detained pending a future hearing.<\/p>\n
The charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct can lead to a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, at least five years, and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.<\/p>\n
This case is being brought as part of \u201cProject Safe Childhood.\u201d In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.<\/p>\n
Led by the U.S. Attorneys\u2019 offices and the DOJ\u2019s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who allegedly exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.<\/p>\n
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