Somerville Man Tried to Lure Teenage Girl into Woods

A Somerville man used a false online profile in an attempt to lure a 15-year-old girl into the woods for sexual activity, according to an announcement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office.

Justin Koser, 31, pleaded guilty Monday to attempted rape and two counts of enticement of a child under 16, the announcement says.

It says Koser, beginning in September of 2012, posed as a 17-year-old high school senior from Andover to exchange instant messages with the 15-year-old victim. His online profile included the photo of a teenage boy who wasn't Koser, according to the announcement.

It says he and the victim eventually moved onto text messages in which Koser began making sexual remarks and eventually told the victim he was older than 17.

The victim and her parents notified the Reading Police Department about the text messages on Sept. 24, 2012, and Reading police began investigating and monitoring the text messages, the announcement says.

It says, "The defendant continued to discuss the sexual nature of his intentions with the victim through text messages."

On Oct. 6, 2012, "the defendant confirmed he would meet the victim in a wooded area after dark and went to the location around 6:30 p.m." the announcement says. Reading police arrested him at that location and seized his iPhone, it says.

Koser was sentenced by Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman to two-and-a-half years in prison and five years of probation after his jail sentence. While under probation, he must register as a sex offender, submit to GPS monitoring, have no contact with the victim, have no unsupervised contact with children under 16 and submit to searches of his computer.

The Middlesex District Attorney's office encouraged teens and parents to learn about Internet safety. It provided the following resources:

• Navigating the Cyber World
• Technology Tips for Parents