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41-year-old Louisiana Man Sentenced to Prison for Attempting to Coerce and Entice a Minor and Possessing Child Pornography

Baton Rouge, Louisiana – A 41-year-old man from Baton Rouge, Louisiana was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to coerce and entice a minor and possessing child pornography. The man initiated communication with an undercover FBI agent posing as the stepfather of a 10-year-old girl and arranged to meet the child for sexual purposes.

United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced on Friday, December 16, 2022, that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Robert James Lowry, age 41, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 170 months (14 years and two months) in federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography. Following his incarceration, Lowry will be required to serve eight years of supervised release and register as a sex offender for life.

According to confessions made at his plea, Lowry began conversing with an FBI undercover agent (UC) acting as the stepfather of a 10-year-old girl via the direct messaging feature of a social networking program on June 21, 2021. Lowry indicated his desire to engage in sexual intercourse with the minor. Lowry initiated communication with the UC via a second social media application between June 22, 2021 and June 30, 2021. During these interactions, Lowry reaffirmed his desire to engage in sexual behavior with the minor and requested that the UC provide him with a photograph of her. Lowry requested permission to meet his stepdaughter on June 30, 2021 and arranged to do so at a site selected by UC in Baton Rouge. Lowry was taken into custody when he arrived at the scheduled spot. After being confronted by authorities and told to display his hands, Lowry placed his hands outside the vehicle and declared, “I wasn’t going to do it.” Lowry stated during an interrogation following his arrest that he intended to make sexual contact with the minor on the evening of June 30, 2021.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, and the Louisiana State Police conducted investigations into this topic. Assistant United States Attorney Eli J. Abad was the prosecutor.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide campaign launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to tackle the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better detect, capture, and prosecute persons who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. It is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS. Please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc for additional information regarding Project Safe Childhood.

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