A man from Centreville, Virginia, is under arrest after police say he coerced a teenager in Minnesota to send sexually explicit photographs of herself to him and then tried to meet her in person.
Raymond Jung Woo Choi, 41, was arrested in Fairfax City on Monday after a grand jury indicted him on one count of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
According to court documents, Choi began messaging the 13/14-year-old girl on social media apps between November of 2023 and February of 2024 using an alias of “Jason Lee.”
Prosecutors said Choi knew the victim was a minor and in middle school when he messaged her. They claim Choi would convince the girl to send him the photos and in return provide gifts, which he either sent via Amazon or mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to her home.
In January, while waiting for more photos of the victim, Choi is accused of sending her a message about meeting in person.
The message Choi is accused of sending to the victim reads: “Ugh I wish I could just visit u. And record our own. Problem solved.”
Choi, according to prosecutors, boarded a plane in February and flew to Minnesota with the intention of meeting the victim — but that meeting never happened because of “family and law enforcement intervention,” court documents stated.
Choi then flew back to Virginia, where he was arrested this month. He remains behind bars in the Commonwealth as he awaits transportation to Minnesota to face the charges there.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota said the case was part of what it called part of “Project Safe Childhood” — an initiative aimed at identifying and rescuing victims of exploitation and prosecuting those responsible.
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