ROANOKE, Va. – A grand jury has charged a Roanoke man with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
The man, who has been identified as 49-year-old Erich Zeeb, of Roanoke, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and faces a maximum of 30 years if convicted, 10 News has learned.
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“We’re prepared to make our case as part of our ongoing mission to protect children and teenagers from sexual exploitation,” Totten said.
According to the indictment, which was unsealed last Friday, it alleges that on multiple occasions, Zeeb “employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced” a 15-year-old to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of that conduct. The indictment also alleges that the conduct took place in Marquette County, Michigan in July 2012.
Zeeb had previously lived in Houston, Texas and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The attorney’s office alleges Zeeb used a plethora of emails and may have also communicated via social medias and dating apps.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigators are continuing to investigate Zeeb. Anyone with information about conduct involving Zeeb should contact the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, Marquette Branch Office, at 906-226-2500.