ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A Virginia man was sentenced 11 years and 3 months in prison Thursday after attempting to engage in sexual activities with what he thought to be an 11-year-old child in St. Johns County.
Peter Papuchis, 43, was arrested in April 2023 after he tried to entice who he thought was the parent of an 11-year-old girl into allowing him to have sex with their child. The individual he was communicating with was actually an undercover federal agent.
The DOJ said the agent was using a free mobile application that allows its users to meet online, talk privately and share pictures and videos.
The agent posted a message within the app, pretending to be a parent of a child, to which Papuchis responded to privately, telling the undercover agent, "I'm a perv with pedo tendencies," according to DOJ.
The two messaged each other for about one week before Papuchis agreed to meet the parent and the child in St. Johns County.
Papuchis was arrested when he arrived and has been in federal custody since May 4, 2023. Following his 11 year prison sentence, Papuchis is ordered to serve a 20-year term of supervised release and register as a sexual predator.
