St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting Minor for Sexual Abuse

A St. Louis man faces up to 20 years in federal prison after admitting to transporting a minor across state lines for sexual abuse.

Curion M. Turner, 28, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, according to a report from firstalert4.com. The plea changes the course of a case that highlights the persistent dangers of digital grooming and interstate exploitation.

Federal prosecutors detailed a pattern of deception that began on social media. In 2023, Turner met a 15-year-old girl on Instagram. While he was 25 years old at the time of their initial contact, prosecutors say he told the teenager he was only 17.

The deception facilitated multiple trips across state lines. After meeting the victim online, Turner traveled to Illinois to pick up the teenager and brought her to a hotel in the St. Louis area on at least seven separate occasions, firstalert4.com reported.

This federal conviction follows a separate legal history involving similar offenses. Turner is already serving time in state prison after pleading guilty to charges involving different victims.

In state court, Turner admitted to several sexual offenses involving minors. The specific charges included two counts of statutory sodomy with a person less than 14 years old and four counts of second-degree statutory rape. A St. Louis City judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison for those crimes.

The intersection of state and federal prosecutions often occurs when crimes involve crossing state borders, a factor that triggers federal jurisdiction under specific statutes designed to combat child exploitation. The current federal case adds a potential sentence to his existing state incarceration.

Turner is scheduled to be sentenced in February.

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