4 December 2004 – LAWFUEL -First for legal, law, criminal law news – A trucker from Beckville, Texas facing federal charges of transporting a
13-year-old girl across state lines for the purpose of having criminal sexual
conduct with her has been removed from Texas to California.
Michael Eugene Moore, 39, arrived yesterday in Los Angeles after being transported
by the United States Marshals Service. Moore, who was indicted on November 17 by a
federal grand jury in Los Angeles, is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment
Monday morning. Moore has been in custody without bond since his arrest in Texas
pursuant to a criminal complaint file on October 18.
According to court documents, Moore picked up the girl and a 16-year-old friend on
a highway in Texas. Along the way, Moore had sex with the 13-year-old in the
sleeping compartment of his truck, according to the girl, who told police that
Moore held her down during both instances.
Moore dropped off the girls on Highway 101 in Santa Barbara on August 17 because
the 13-year-old was experiencing complications related to diabetes.
The crime of interstate transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in
criminal sexual activity, a violation of the Mann Act, carries a mandatory minimum
penalty of five years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in
custody.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every
defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and the Santa Barbara Police Department. The Terrell (Texas) Police Service
provided assistance.
