Crime & Courts

Wasilla man convicted of attempting to molest a child

A Wasilla man will face at least 10 years in prison after being found guilty of attempting to molest an 8-year-old, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

Justin Raymond Nekeroff, 33, was found guilty of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography, the U.S. attorney for Alaska said.

Nekeroff was arrested in June 2015 at a Wasilla motel. Before his arrest, he had been communicating with an undercover FBI agent who posed as the mother of an 8-year-old girl.

On July 22, 2015, Nekeroff arrived at the motel under the impression that he was going to have sex with the child. He was arrested, and in his wallet, officers found an SD card that had images of child pornography on it.

After his arrest, Nekeroff told officers that he thought about having sex with children "all the time," federal prosecutors said.

Nekeroff told police that he had begun molesting a 5-year-old victim when he was 14 years old, which continued until the victim was 14, according to court documents. He also told officers he had sex with a 15-year-old when he was 24.

Nekeroff will spend a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum life sentence for the child enticement conviction. He faces up to 10 years for possessing child pornography.

Nekeroff will be sentenced on May 9.

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

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