Feds charge man with taking 13-year-old Missouri girl for sexual purposes

A 55-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., man now faces federal charges for allegedly taking a 13-year-old Missouri girl to New Mexico after exchanging sexually explicit online messages and photos with her.

Raymond C. Vallia already faced kidnapping charges in Henry County, Mo. He was arrested in late March driving with the girl in his truck in New Mexico.

Authorities recently charged him in U.S. District Court in Kansas City with transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

According to federal court documents, Vallia and the girl began communicating online in December.

Initially, she told him she was 16, and he claimed to be a teenager, the documents allege. But “early in the relationship,” she admitted she was 13 and he told her his true age, but the girl continued to have contact with him “because he was nice to her,” according to the documents.

After she was found, the girl told investigators that she planned to live with Vallia, who would pose as her father and enroll her in school in New Mexico.

On March 29, he allegedly picked her up from her home in Henry County, Mo., and drove her to Amarillo, Texas, before they continued to New Mexico.

Vallia’s wife, who separated from him when she learned of his online relationship with a teenager, provided police with his cellphone number. That allowed officers to pinpoint his location and arrest him as he drove on Interstate 40 near Albuquerque.

After waiving extradition, he returned to Missouri last week and is being held in the Henry County Detention Center.

The federal charge carries a potential life sentence.

This story was originally published April 27, 2015 at 9:44 AM with the headline "Feds charge man with taking 13-year-old Missouri girl for sexual purposes."