VALLEY MAN FACES NET SEX CHARGE.Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services A 42-year-old Woodland Hills man - who called himself ``Vallleyguy'' - pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges that he used the Internet in an attempt to lure a 13-year-old Connecticut girl into having sex. Authorities contend that defendant Francis John Kufrovich had pretended pre·tend·ed adj. 1. Not genuine or sincere; feigned: a pretended interest in the proceedings. 2. Supposed; alleged: the pretended heir to the throne. to be a teen-age boy when he first contacted the girl. Kufrovich met the girl in person in Texas, where she was competing in a swim meet, after several months of Internet chat, phone calls and letters, prosecutors say. He allegedly tried to sexually assault her before her mother intervened, prosecutors say. U.S. Attorney Christopher Droney said he believes this is one of the first cases in the country to be tried under a new provision contained in the 1996 Communications Decency Act See CDA. (legal) Communications Decency Act - (CDA) An amendment to the U.S. 1996 Telecommunications Bill that went into effect on 08 February 1996, outraging thousands of Internet users who turned their web pages black in protest. that makes it illegal for someone to use the Internet to persuade or induce a minor into sex. Kufrovich appeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Joan Margolis on a grand jury indictment on one count of using the Internet and telephone wires to entice a minor to engage in sex and one count of traveling to engage in sex with a minor. Kufrovich, a small man who wore glasses, barely spoke above a whisper when Margolis asked him preliminary questions, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the New Haven Register The New Haven Register is a daily newspaper published in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the second largest newspaper in Connecticut, behind The Hartford Courant. It is owned by the Journal Register Company in Yardley, Pennsylvania. , which covered the appearance. When it came time to plead, Kufrovich yelled yell v. yelled, yell·ing, yells v.intr. To cry out loudly, as in pain, fright, surprise, or enthusiasm. v.tr. To utter or express with a loud cry. See Synonyms at shout. n. out ``not guilty,'' according to the Register account. The newspaper said the defendant's attorney, Dallas-based Richard Anderson, said Kufrovich ``vigorously denies the allegations.'' Kufrovich declined comment through his attorneys. Margolis issued a gag order A court order to gag or bind an unruly defendant or remove her or him from the courtroom in order to prevent further interruptions in a trial. In a trial with a great deal of notoriety, a court order directed to attorneys and witnesses not to discuss the case with the media—such restricting both sides from naming the victim or her family. The judge ordered that Kufrovich not contact the victim, her parents or any witnesses, that he not have contact with minors. After meeting by computer, the girl talked with Kufrovich on the phone and was asked ``whether or not she was a virgin,'' said Assistant U.S. Attorney Gates Garrity-Rokous. In March 1996, the girl traveled to Irving, Texas Irving (pronounced 'er-ving') is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 191,615; the 2006 estimate was 201,927 according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and 196,084 according to , with her mother for a swim meet, and Kufrovich flew there and checked into the same hotel, prosecutors said. Garrity-Rokous said Kufrovich lured the pajama-clad teen-ager to his room, where he attempted to sexually assault her. When her mother realized the girl was not in her room, she went looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. her and intervened, prosecutors said. Garrity-Rokous said Kufrovich also is being investigated on accusations that he attempted to sexually assault a 15-year-old California girl in 1991 and a 14-year-old California boy in 1989. Federal authorities additionally are investigating plane trips he took with children in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994. Prosecutors noted that Kufrovich has traveled extensively to Europe, South America South America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop. 299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. and Asia. The New Haven Register said Kufrovich is a financial consultant who travels to South American and Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. for his work. Also under investigation is his relationship with his 20-year-old fiancee, who prosecutors believe she may have been a minor when the relationship began. The judge ordered that while he is awaiting trial, Kufrovich's travel be restricted to California and to Florida, where his mother lives, but the judge said he could travel for business purposes. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 10 years in prison on each of the two counts. He was released on a $250,000 secured bond. Kufrovich used his Woodland Hills home and a $90,000 retirement fund for the bond, the New Haven Register said. Nobody answered at Kufrovich's Calabasas-based business. Others in the immediate area said they were not familiar with him. |
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