MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A 29-year-old California man has pleaded guilty to transporting a 12-year-old Montana girl across state lines with the intention of engaging in criminal sexual activity.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Edgard Le of Escondido, Calif., pleaded guilty Thursday during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Missoula.
Prosecutors said they would prove in court that Le developed an online relationship with the girl and that records show conversations in which they considered themselves to be "engaged." Le drove to Kalispell in February 2012 to take her back to California with him. The girl left without telling her parents.
Le was arrested when the car he was in was stopped in California, southwest of the Nevada border.
Sentencing is set for May 23. Le remains in federal custody.
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