BOSTON (WHDH) - A Seattle man is facing criminal charges after officials say he traveled to Boston last month and tried to drive home with a 14-year-old Fall River girl he met online after serving more than 10 years behind bars for manslaughter.
Jabarie Phillips, 41, was charged Wednesday in Boston federal court with one count of sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling announced.
Phillips allegedly began communicating with the girl on Facebook in April after posting that he was just released from prison after “doing a 12-year bid” and that he was “looking to find a good time.”
It’s alleged that Phillips repeatedly asked the girl to take sexually explicit videos and photos of herself for him to view.
In a Facebook conversation prior to the meeting, Phillips made it clear that the girl’s young age was not a concern to him, according to a court affidavit. The girl allegedly said in one message, “Are you hearing yourself you got out the joint after doing 12 years… U tryna do 12 more?”
Investigators say the girl told Phillips she had issues with her family, to which he allegedly responded: “If you run away let me know we can take this show on the road I need a partner in crime.”
The girl later took an Uber from Fall River to meet Phillips at Logan Airport, where they then traveled to South Station to catch a bus to Seattle on May 1, the affidavit said.
Phillips was arrested in Minneapolis on May 3 on two warrants, one out of Washington State for probation violation and the other out of Massachusetts for kidnapping, after the victim’s mother reported her missing.
Video surveillance obtained from Boston Logan Airport showed a minor embracing a black man, who was later identified as Phillips through a Facebook photo.
After Phillips was taken into custody, the girl told police that she had engaged in sex acts while on the bus, the affidavit said.
Phillips faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
An investigation is ongoing.
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