Benjamin Tyler Moser, age 27, formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 46 months in prison for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Moser will also serve five years on supervised release after his prison term and be required to register as a sex offender. Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office; and, Colonel David M. Rohrer, Chief of Police, Fairfax County Police Department made the announcement following Moser’s December 19, 2008 sentencing by the Honorable T.S. Ellis, III, United States District Judge.
According to court documents, in March of 2008, Moser began communicating on the internet with an FBI undercover agent posing as a 13-year old girl named “Amanda.” Over the course of several chats, Moser discussed meeting “Amanda” to engage in sexual activity. Moser stated in these chats that he was afraid he might be arrested and that “Amanda” might be law enforcement. On June 18, 2008, Moser traveled from his home in Washington, D.C. to Falls Church, VA in order to meet “Amanda.” He was arrested en route to “Amanda’s” home. Moser pled guilty on August 5, 2008.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Child Exploitation Unit of the Fairfax County Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Andrew McCormack, who is on detail from the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.