Arizona man pleads guilty to traveling to Louisiana to have sex with a minor

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that an Arizona man pleaded guilty last week to traveling from Texas to Louisiana in order to engage in sexual activity with a minor.

Jonathan Glosch, 27, of Golden Valley, Ariz., pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi. According to the guilty plea, Glosch was traveling with an Arizona family in November of 2015 on their way to Louisiana. The family asked Glosch to leave the trip while in Texas. The mother believed he was having an inappropriate relationship with their 14-year-old daughter. Glosch stayed in contact with the daughter telling her that he had feelings for her and that they would run away together. He followed the family to Morgan City, La. On December 3, 2015, he picked up the daughter without the family’s knowledge and drove to Lafayette Parish. Law enforcement agents used information provided by the parents to track the defendant. The juvenile female was found with Glosch, and he was arrested.

Glosch faces 30 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He is also required to register as a sex offender. A sentencing date was not set.

The FBI, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and Morgan City Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Those concerned may also leave tips with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously.  The Lafayette FBI office number is (337) 233-2164.