SC man sentenced for sexually abusing minors and false statements to FBI

COLUMBIA, S.C. (FOX Carolina) -The US Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced that a man was recently sentenced after pleading guilty to the enticement of a minor for sexual activity and giving false statements to the FBI.

Officials said 60-year-old Jonathan Rion of Woodruff, SC, and Charlotte, NC, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for the charges. They added that he also faces a lifetime of supervision and registration as a sex offender. He must also pay restitution to one victim.

According to officials, the situation began in March 2021 when Rion met one of the victims through an online social media site and internet-based cell phone application. Following their initial meeting, Rion reportedly went to Columbia to pick up the minor and took him back to Charlotte, NC. There he sexually abused the victim and gave him money and gifts.

Officials said in April 2021, Rion talked online to an undercover FBI agent that he believed was a 14-year-old and tried to get them to come to his home in North Carolina or a hotel in South Carolina.

Officials stated that evidence showed that Rion exploited up to 6 minor victims from 2018 to 2021. Rion reportedly gave the victims things such as money or gifts and would sexually abuse them in return. He also got explicit photos and videos of the victims, and some reported that the sexual contact with him wasn’t consensual.

When approached by the FBI, Rion lied and denied that he had any sexual conduct or conversations with minors.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lexington Police Department, with help from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.