A federal grand jury has indicted Shengjie Cheng, a 32-year-old Chinese national living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on charges of attempted enticement of a minor. Cheng, who is in the United States on a student visa, appeared for arraignment and entered a not guilty plea.
The indictment alleges that on March 31, 2025, Cheng used social media applications under the name “Marvellous Pirate” to try to persuade someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl in Baton Rouge to engage in an illegal sexual relationship.
If convicted, Cheng faces at least ten years and up to life in prison. He could also be fined up to $250,000, face supervised release for life, and be required to register as a sex offender. Upon completion of any sentence, he may be subject to removal or deportation from the United States.
Multiple agencies are involved in the investigation: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force; and the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner and Special Assistant United States Attorney Allen Ross.
"An indictment is an accusation by a grand jury. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea."
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse online by coordinating federal, state, and local resources (http://www.justice.gov/psc).
It is also part of Operation Take Back America, which brings together Department of Justice resources—including those from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)—to address illegal immigration, dismantle transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime.
