Chicago Man Indicted for Traveling to Maryland to Engage in Sexual Activity with a Minor

Baltimore, Maryland - A federal grand jury indicted Vincent Louis Karczynski, age 20, of Chicago, Illinois, today for traveling interstate in order to engage in sexual activity with a minor, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to the indictment and court documents, Karczynski and the 12 year old victim had been communicating over the internet since November 2008 and had also spoken a number of times by cell phone and text message. On March 27, 2009 Karczynski traveled to Baltimore from Chicago in order to meet the victim. On March 27 and March 28, the victim and a friend met Karczynski at a mall. On both occasions Karczynsi and the victim went to a movie where they engaged in sexual contact.

On March 28, 2009, the victim’s mother found a message on the victim’s cellphone suggesting that the sender of the message had sexual contact with the victim. A short time later, the victim’s cellphone rang and the victim’s mother answered the phone. A male voice on the other end stated “hey cutie can you talk.” When the mother asked who was calling, the male voice said he had the wrong number, was looking for Joe, and hung up. The victim’s mother asked her about the text message and phone call and the victim admitted she had been communicating with and had meetings with Karczynski. Police traced the caller ID from the cellphone to the hotel where Karczynski was staying and arrested him at the hotel.

Karczynski faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, followed by supervised release up to life. Karczynski is currently detained. No court appearance has been scheduled.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Details about Maryland’s program are available at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Safe-Childhood/index.html.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Maryland State Police, Anne Arundel County Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Frank Weathersbee for their work in this investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Bonnie S. Greenberg, who is prosecuting the case.