Louisiana Teacher Pleads Guilty To Enticing MA 11-Year-Old

BOSTON, MA — A Louisiana teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Boston to child enticement offenses after a Massachusetts mom found obscene texts from him on her 11-year-old daughter's iPad.

Logan Procell, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of transfer of obscene material to a minor. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for June 3, 2019. Procell has been in custody since his indictment in October 2017.

Procell first contacted the girl via Snapchat after seeing her on a different online app that allows users to publish videos in real time. After getting her phone number, Procell began texting her.

Eventually, the girl's mother found about a month’s worth of their communications in September 2017 and contacted police. Officials declined to release the town or county where the girl lives.

Police found that Procell sent some 1,600 messages with sexually explicit images and messages to the child, including pictures of his penis, requests for her to send him pornographic images of herself, and discussions about meeting her to have sex.

Including this one referred to in court documents:

318-581-2222: Do you know what I am
Minor A: Nope
318-581-2222: I like you
Minor A: Cool
318-581-2222: And I’m an adult
318-581-2222: And you’re a kid
Minor A: Sooo…?
318-581-2222: That makes me a pedophile

At the time of the offense, Procell was a chemistry teacher at Logansport High School in Noble, LA, according to court documents.

Procell was arrested on Sept. 22, 2017 in Louisiana. He resigned following the arrest, according to a local report.

The charge of coercion and enticement of a minor carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. The charge of transfer of obscene material to a minor calls for a sentence no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office, made the announcement Thursday.

The District Attorney's office thanked the Louisiana State Police and the Waltham Police Department for their assistance in the case .

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.

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