ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday on Thursday announced felony charges against a 31-year-old Allentown man accused of attempting to pay for, and meet for, sexual contact with someone he believed to be a 12-year-old child.
Kristien Diaz was arrested last week in Lehigh County after driving to an arranged meeting location, where agents with the Office of Attorney General and local police took him into custody. He is charged with several felonies, including criminal attempted rape of a child.
Diaz was arraigned and bail was set at $500,000. He was remanded to Lehigh County Correctional Facility.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Diaz made arrangements online, seeking out an individual to help facilitate the sexual abuse of a child. The person he communicated with was an undercover agent.
“This is extremely concerning deviant behavior, as this man took every step with full intentions to sexually abuse who he thought was a pre-teenage child,” Sunday said in a statement. “Predators are lurking online perpetrating harm against children, so proactive investigations with our law enforcement partners are essential to keeping kids safe.”
Investigators said they seized Diaz’s cellphone at the time of his arrest. The device contained conversations outlining the planned meet-up and indicating Diaz believed the minor was 12.
Diaz is charged with criminal attempted rape of a child, criminal attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, criminal attempted statutory sexual assault, two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communication facility and misdemeanor criminal attempted corruption of minors.
The case will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Michelle Laucella.
Isabel Hope is a journalist and website designer based in Bethlehem, PA. She graduated with a degree in journalism from The University of Alabama in 2022, where she served as News Editor of the student newspaper. Isabel has lived in the Lehigh Valley for three years and is passionate about reporting for the communities she now calls home.