Man convinced 14-year-old to carve his name in her leg, send explicit images, feds say

A California man accused of persuading a teenage girl to send him explicit images and carve his name into her leg with a knife has pleaded guilty, federal prosecutors say.

Eric Jin, 30, of San Diego, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in relation to his online interactions with the 14-year-old girl, the United States District Attorney’s Office Southern District of California said in an Oct. 15 news release.

“This defendant repeatedly victimized, exploited, and literally scarred a child,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in the release. “This horrific crime serves as a reminder to keep a very close eye on who kids are talking to online.”

Jin’s attorney, Peter Blair, told McClatchy News that his client’s actions were not representative of his character.

“This action was sort of a bizarre escape and fantasy from the person he actually is, manifested from some abuse he suffered,” Blair said.

Jin is accused of asking the girl to take explicit photos of herself and to send them to him once in December 2022 and again in February 2023, according to court documents.

On the same February day, Jin also told the girl to carve his first “name into her inner thigh and take a picture of it,” court documents show.

The girl obeyed; she took a photo of the mutilation with her cellphone and sent it to Jin over the internet, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say Jin also sent the girl “images of other minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”

“He’s a good, decent person,” Blair said of Jin. “It’s just, you know, this online persona just really got out of control.”

After his guilty plea, Jin faces a minimum 15-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine, according to prosecutors.

Blair said Jin finds his potential sentence “appropriate for his actions.”

“He’s very remorseful,” Blair said.

Jin is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 14 for sentencing.

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