Ga. Man Caught in Fed Sting; Allegedly Sought Sex with 9-Year-Old

Get the Dacula Patch newsletter

A Gwinnett County man has been arraigned on federal child sex charges after he was caught in an FBI sting allegedly trying to line up sex with a 9-year-old girl.

Leonard Nathaniel Peregine Jr., 32, of Lawrenceville, Ga., was indicted by a federal grand jury last week, and faces charges of using the internet to entice a child for sex, and distributing and possessing child pornography.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta said Peregine allegedly responded to an online ad posted by an undercover agent that offered sexual access to a child.

“While communicating with the undercover agent to arrange to have sex with the child, said to be a 9-year-old girl, Peragine sent child pornography videos to the undercover agent that depicted adult men committing sex acts on prepubescent children,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in an announcement. “Peragine sent the videos via messenger application in order to have the agent show the videos to the child to persuade her to have sex with the defendant.”

Prosecutors charge Peragine later spoke with who he thought was the child, and asked her if she had seen the videos and if she was interested in doing similar activities with him. Peragine arranged to meet the undercover agent and the child on Sept. 29 in Suwanee.

When he arrived, he was arrested and searched. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said condoms were found in Peragine’s car, and child porn on his cell phone.

“Peragine is accused of shopping online for sex with children,” U.S. Attorney John Horn said in a news release. “Such conduct is as dehumanizing as it is dangerous. Predators may feel safe in the anonymity of the internet, but this case shows that we will find these predators and bring them to justice.”

Peragine was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard.