Man gets 2 years for arranging sex with teen in 'ridiculous' welfare scheme: report
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A Virginia man was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday for attempting to arrange sex with a cop posing as a 14-year-old girl eager to become pregnant to obtain welfare, the Free Lance-Star reported.
Jon-Paul Patterson Snyder, 32, was arrested early last year after reaching out to an undercover officer on Craigslist with an upfront pick-up line: "Get you pregnant naturally, no strings m4w."
After making contact, the supposed teenage girl reportedly told Snyder she had heard that getting pregnant could net her welfare benefits.
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It's "hard to imagine a more ridiculous set of circumstances," prosecutor Stephanie Fitzgerald said, according to the Free Lance-Star.
"[It's] hard to imagine a more ridiculous set of circumstances."
The man reportedly called his wife and told her he had "messed up" after the incident.
A Spotsylvania Circuit Court judge technically sentenced Snyder to 10 years in jail, with eight years suspended. He accepted a plea deal for electronic soliciation of a minor.
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He will have to limit his Internet use and seek sex offender treatment, according to local reports.
Snyder was arrested along with 11 other men as part of a sweeping cyber-sting organized by the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. One of the men reportedly worked as a custodian at a local school.