California man sentenced to 10 years for attempted transportation of a minor for heinous activity

SACRAMENTO, California — Robert Frenchie McGriff, a 44-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, according to United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.

From March through June 2019, McGriff communicated with an individual he believed to be a minor female on Instagram, claiming to be a pimp and recruiting her to work as a prostitute in Arizona. In June 2019, McGriff traveled by bus to Turlock, California, intending to retrieve the minor and transport her for prostitution. He was subsequently arrested by law enforcement.

The case was investigated by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Prosecutions Unit and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys Whitnee Goins and Shea Kenny prosecuted the case. This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.