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Press Release

Suitland Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Coercion of a 14-Year-Old Child

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland
Picked Up a 14-Year-Old Minor to Engage in Sexual Relations

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Sean Levan Henson, age 28, of Suitland, Maryland to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for coercion and enticement of a minor. Judge Hazel also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Henson must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).    

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy, Chief Russell E. Hamill III of the Laurel Police Department; and Chief Eric L. Reiley of the Woodstock Virginia Police Department.

  According to his guilty plea, in February 2019, Henson used various social media platforms to communicate sexual messages with a 14-year-old female victim residing in Shenandoah County, Virginia. For example, on February 15, 2019 Henson sent a message stating “I’m gonna take my time and appreciate you and make love to that body.”

As detailed in his plea agreement, on February 22, 2019, Henson traveled to Shenandoah County, Virginia where he picked up the victim for the purpose of transporting her to Maryland and engaging in sexual activity.  On February 23, 2019, Henson engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim in Laurel, Maryland.  Henson subsequently paid for a ride-sharing service to transport the female victim back to Shenandoah County, Virginia.  The victim’s parents reported the victim as a missing person and gave a statement to law enforcement.

On March 6, 2019, law enforcement communicated with Henson by telephone.  At that time Henson admitted he was aware the victim was 14 years old and that he had been communicating with the victim for two months with the intention of a romantic relationship.  Henson also informed law enforcement he picked up the victim at a Virginia gas station before he proceeded to Maryland where he engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim in Maryland.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.         

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the FBI, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Laurel Police Department, and the Woodstock Virginia Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Contact

Marcia Murphy
(410) 209-4885

Updated October 20, 2021

Topic
Project Safe Childhood