TERRELL, Texas – A Mesquite man was sentenced to prison after police said he stole another man’s identity online and used it to solicit minors.
Terrell police said their investigation began in August 2022 after an organization used a decoy profile to interact online with someone believed to be soliciting minors.
The organization confronted the man believed to be the suspect at his business in Terrell. That confrontation was livestreamed online.
However, police later determined that the man the organization confronted was an innocent victim.
Instead, investigators determined James Crow had created a fake online profile using the other man’s identity to engage in illicit activities with underage individuals.
Crow was arrested at his home in Mesquite.
He pleaded guilty in December to charges of online impersonation and online solicitation of a minor and was given a 10-year prison sentence.
The other man was cleared of any wrongdoing.
