Man admits transporting 13-year-old Missouri girl across state line for sex

A 56-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., man admitted Tuesday in Kansas City federal court that he took a 13-year-old Henry County, Mo., girl to New Mexico after exchanging sexually explicit online messages and photos with her.

Raymond C. Vallia, III, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to transporting a minor across state lines in late March with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

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

Initially, she told him she was 16, and he claimed to be a teenager. 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 court records.

Vallia picked up the girl at her home at 2 a.m. March 29. They drove to Amarillo, Texas, where they spent the night in a motel and engaged in sexual activity. The next morning, after Vallia returned from a doctor’s appointment, they left the hotel and drove toward Vallia’s apartment in Albuquerque, according to the federal plea agreement.

The day before she fled with Vallia, the girl and her mother spent the day in the Kansas City area, shopping at Oak Park Mall and eating in Westport before returning to their Henry County home.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert after the girl’s mother couldn’t find her and noticed the home’s back door was open.

After being found, the girl told investigators that she had planned to live with Vallia, who would pose as her father.

The plea agreement recommends that Vallia be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and 10 years of probation. He would have to register as a sex offender.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Man admits transporting 13-year-old Missouri girl across state line for sex."