An Air Force captain from Illinois has pleaded not guilty to charges that he recently drove to Chattanooga to meet and have sex with a 15-year-old girl he allegedly had been courting online for the past five years.
During the five-minute hearing in federal court, Felix Tran, 31, told U.S. District Magistrate Judge Bill Carter that he had a master’s degree and understood the serious nature of the charges that could put him in prison for a minimum of 10 years if he is convicted.
Mr. Tran had traveled to Chattanooga for a second time for his arraignment during which he formally pleaded not guilty to one count of using a mobile phone in interstate communications in order to induce a minor to have sex.
He also pleaded not guilty to one count of traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor.
On Dec. 23, U.S. District Magistrate Judge Susan Lee had granted Mr. Tran bond on the condition that he always would travel from Illinois to make his court appearances or risk owing the court $20,000.