Teacher pleads guilty to enticement of 11-year-old Massachusetts girl

BOSTON – A Louisiana teacher pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to child enticement related offenses.

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 was indicted in October 2017 and has been in custody since.

Procell first contacted an 11-year-old Massachusetts girl via Snapchat after seeing her on a different online application that allows users to publish videos in real time. After obtaining her phone number, Procell began communicating with her by text. The child’s parent discovered approximately one month’s worth of their communications in September 2017. The exchange of more than 1600 messages contained sexually explicit images and messages sent by Procell 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. At the time of the offense, Procell was a chemistry teacher at a high school in Noble, La.

The charge of coercion and enticement of a minor carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of transfer of obscene material to a minor provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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 today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Louisiana State Police and the Waltham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne Paruti and Mackenzie Queenin are prosecuting 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. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.