JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Nepalese man living in Jacksonville has been convicted of trying to meet up with a pregnant 12-year-old girl for sex.
A federal jury found 32-year-old Sanjay Lama guilty of using the internet to attempt to entice a child to engage in sexual activity. He was arrested Sept. 25, 2019, in Jacksonville after an undercover FBI investigation, a news release from the Department of Justice says.
According to evidence and testimony during Lama's five-day trial, an FBI agent posed online as a pregnant 12-year-old and was contacted by Lama. They conversed online using a social media app "known both for its anonymity as well as for being a way to meet others online for sex," the news release says.
Lama sent 160 text messages expressing his desire to meet who he thought was the 12-year-old child to engage in sexual activity, according to the release. He also provided graphic descriptions of the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the "child."
Later that same afternoon, Lama left his workplace in Downtown Jacksonville and rode his motorcycle to a shopping center on the Southside to meet the "child" and take her to her nearby home for sex, the release says. When he arrived, Lama was approached by FBI agents as he was texting with the "child" and was arrested.
Lama faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 19.
The DOJ says Lama is a citizen of Nepal who was legally residing in Jacksonville at the time of the offense working as an information technology specialist for a local company.
