Man Accused Of Grooming, Sexually Abusing 15-Year-Old In Katonah: FBI

BEDFORD, NY — A 40-year-old man is facing federal charges connected to a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old Katonah boy, according to the feds.

Warning: This report contains disturbing sexually graphic excerpts from a text exchange presented as evidence of probable cause in federal court.

On Friday, Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY, James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the NY Field Office of the FBI and Melvin Padilla, the Chief of the Bedford Police Department, announced the arrest of John Lord. He is charged with persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing a 15-year-old minor to engage in sexual activity. Lord was presented Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause in White Plains federal court.

"This case underlines the urgent need for law enforcement to continue its efforts to protect children from those who prey on them," Williams said in a statement announcing the charges. "As this arrest shows, we will use every tool available to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those who sexually exploit children."

According to the complaint filed on Thursday, on Wednesday, Lord persuaded and enticed a 15-year-old, who he had met and communicated with through an online app, to engage in sexual activity with him.

"Lord’s alleged actions, enticing a vulnerable member of our society – a child – for sexual activity, are abhorrent," FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said. "The FBI takes the alleged crime very seriously, we are tireless in our efforts to investigate and hold accountable any person who harms a child."

Lord is accused of sending text messages to his victim, asking the child to meet to engage in sexual activity. Hours later, Lord was discovered with the child in a wooded area in Katonah, according to investigators who say Lord was naked from the waist down with his penis exposed. The victim was in his underwear, officials said. When approached, Lord grabbed his underwear and fled, according to the complaint.

According to prosecutors, the boy's mother captured the meeting on cellphone video.

Text messages submitted as evidence by prosecutors appear to show a disturbing pattern of behavior prior to that meeting. The sexually graphic nature of the text exchange leaves little to the imagination.

Later that same evening, Lord was apprehended and arrested by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bedford Police Department. He was interviewed by Bedford police and admitted that he engaged in sexual activity with the victim on Wednesday, as well as on prior occasions. Lord was charged in Bedford with criminal sexual act in the third degree.

"The safety and security of our residents is our primary focus," Bedford Police Chief Melvin Padilla said. "And thanks to the diligent work of our officers and the cooperation and assistance from our federal partners, the defendant was quickly identified and apprehended."

Williams stated that the investigation is ongoing. The federal prosecutor is asking that anyone who may have encountered John Lord or whose children may have had any communications with Lord to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

The Sedona, Arizona, 40-year-old is now charged with one count of coercion and enticement, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Williams praised the efforts of the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, the Bedford Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office in connection with this investigation. He added that the investigation is ongoing.