A man from Centreville, Virginia, is under arrest after police say he coerced a teenager in Minnesota to send sexually explicit photographs of herself to him and then tried to meet her in person.

Raymond Jung Woo Choi, 41, was arrested in Fairfax City on Monday after a grand jury indicted him on one count of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.

According to court documents, Choi began messaging the 13/14-year-old girl on social media apps between November of 2023 and February of 2024 using an alias of “Jason Lee.”

Prosecutors said Choi knew the victim was a minor and in middle school when he messaged her. They claim Choi would convince the girl to send him the photos and in return provide gifts, which he either sent via Amazon or mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to her home.

In January, while waiting for more photos of the victim, Choi is accused of sending her a message about meeting in person.

The message Choi is accused of sending to the victim reads: “Ugh I wish I could just visit u. And record our own. Problem solved.”

Choi, according to prosecutors, boarded a plane in February and flew to Minnesota with the intention of meeting the victim — but that meeting never happened because of “family and law enforcement intervention,” court documents stated.

Choi then flew back to Virginia, where he was arrested this month. He remains behind bars in the Commonwealth as he awaits transportation to Minnesota to face the charges there.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota said the case was part of what it called part of “Project Safe Childhood” — an initiative aimed at identifying and rescuing victims of exploitation and prosecuting those responsible.

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With the Houston Rockets losing their third game of Summer League in Las Vegas, it’s unlikely they’ll make the playoffs, as most teams that make it are undefeated. So, the Rockets look to have a strong fourth contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a guaranteed fifth game coming this weekend.

Houston fell to 2-2 in Las Vegas with a final game to be scheduled for this weekend, falling 93-83 to the Timberwolves. They’re essentially eliminated from playoff contention, but improvement from young guys is key for the Rockets.

The Rockets got off to a slow first quarter start, posting just 16 points in contrast to the Timberwolves’ 29-point first quarter fueled by a strong start from Leonard Miller.

The Rockets’ offense got going through the second quarter, with Reed Sheppard knocking down three straight shots to end the half. They still trailed 46-39, though they began to erase a disastrous start to the game.

Heading into the third quarter trailing by seven points, it was going to be a decisive frame for Houston. They won the quarter once again, cutting their deficit to just four points. In their most recent loss, they struggled mightily in the final frame, which they now had a chance to recover from.

The Rockets couldn’t quite close the gap in the fourth, though, being unable to gain the ground needed to square the game up or make a late-game push. Sheppard turned things around after a slow start, though. While he was unable to convert a 3-pointer, he scored 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He outmatched his former Kentucky teammate Rob Dillingham, who scored 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting for the Timberwolves.

AJ Griffin added 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, converting on two of his five 3-pointers attempted. As a team, Houston shot 6-of-23 from deep, a recipe for loss as their offense was unable to fully get going because of it.

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Minnesota lost 3,200 jobs from in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, and the state’s unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a percentage point to 2.9%, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development said in news release Thursday. The state’s private sector lost 3,300 jobs.

It’s the second month in a row the state has seen a net job loss. In May, the state lost 8,600 jobs, but gained 3,900 jobs in April. Minnesota has added jobs eight of the last 12 months.

The state’s labor force declined by more than 3,100 people, bringing the labor force participation rate down two-tenths of a percentage point to 67.8%. This measures the number of people either working or actively seeking work, and is used to calculate the headline unemployment rate.

“We closely monitor job and labor force growth and we continue to believe that job growth, particularly in certain sectors, is constrained by a lack of available workers with necessary skills,” DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said in the news release. “That’s why DEED and our agency partners are focused on innovative initiatives to help connect Minnesotans looking for work with in-demand employment.”

The state’s data compare with a national unemployment rate of 4.1% in June, up one-tenth of a percentage point, and a labor force participation rate of 62.6%.

Over the month, areas that gained jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis included Education & Health Services, up 4,500 jobs, and Construction, up 300 jobs.

Losing jobs were Professional & Business Services, down 3,000 jobs, Leisure & Hospitality, down 2,100 jobs, and Manufacturing, down 1,600 jobs.

Wages in Minnesota again outpaced inflation, with average hourly wages for all private sector workers increasing $2.02, or 5.7%, over the year. The Consumer Price Index, a common measure of inflation, rose 3% over the year, meaning wages increased almost twice as fast as inflation.

Among broader measures of unemployment, the broadest, called the U-6, was at 5.7%, up from 5.4% in May, according to DEED. This takes into account those who have voluntarily dropped out of the labor force and are no longer looking for work, along with those marginally employed and those working part-time but seeking full-time work.

Originally Published: July 18, 2024 at 6:35 p.m.