MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Johnnie William Bateman, III, of Culpepper, Virginia, was convicted today of traveling across state lines to meet a minor for sex, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.
Bateman, age 39, pled guilty to one count of “Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct." Bateman admitted to traveling from Virginia to Berkeley County, West Virginia in August 2016 to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl.
Bateman faces up to thirty years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Z. Krasinski is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The West Virginia State Police investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
