SANDY, Utah (ABC4) — A Weber County man is facing felony charges after he allegedly offered to pay a minor $700 for sex and was confronted by over 20 teens at a Sandy mall.

According to court documents, Bryce Stephen Ray, 49, of West Haven used Snapchat to talk with a 15-year-old high school student. During their conversation, Ray reportedly never shared his real name but did send a picture of himself through the app.

Ray later offered the victim money in exchange for sex so she could buy clothes. Despite the teen telling Ray she was a minor, the two agreed to meet at the Shops at South Town Mall in Sandy.

On Monday, July 9, a Sandy Police Department officer responded to the mall after getting reports of a group of teenagers confronting a man. When the officer arrived, he reported finding “approximately 20 teenagers yelling at an older man, identified as Ray, calling him a pedophile.”

According to the Sandy Police Department, Ray had a check for $360 on him and had agreed with the teen to send her another $350 through CashApp.

Ray was charged with one count of enticing a minor and one count of sexual solicitation of a child, both second-degree felonies.

Ray had his initial hearing on Tuesday, July 16 where he was appointed a defense attorney. A detention hearing was scheduled for Monday, July 22. Ray is currently being held without bail, pending the detention hearing.

SALT LAKE CITY — A man convicted of defrauding investors in a Utah cell phone scheme will spend nearly five years in prison.

A judge sentenced Chad Leon Sayers, age 60, on Monday in Utah’s U.S. District Court. According to court documents, Sayers defrauded hundreds of investors out of $10 million over the course of a decade.

He reportedly told them, fraudulently, that his cell phone company SAYGUS was close to a multi-billion-dollar payout.

Early intentions could have been legit

Ruth Hackford-Peer with the U. S. Attorneys office said Sayers may have started out believing he was going to develop a smartphone.

Sayers reportedly told his investors he was developing a smartphone he called the “V” phone. He later called it the “V-Squared,” and claimed it would be sold and supported by his company, SAYGUS.

And he tempted investors by telling them they could see a return that was 100 times more than their original investment.

“He also put a lot of money in trying to launch this phone, and sending money to China for the development of this phone,” Hackford-Peer said.

Sayers reportedly  gave investors multiple launch dates that never materialized.

Indeed, the U.S. Attorneys office said Sayers never manufactured the phones.

‘This is not the place’ for a cell phone scheme

Instead, Sayers reportedly used the money to rent a 25,000 square foot office space, and to buy an expensive car.

Sayers will spend 56 months in prison.

Hackford-Peer said the ruling can be seen as the federal court warning others that Utah is not the place to launch a fraud.

Suggested other reading:

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — When Micah Hyde returned to Utah after completing his two-year service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was greeted at the airport by his parents, his siblings — and his favorite artist.

Post Malone — a chart-topping, Grammy-nominated singer — was waiting for a flight at the St. George Regional Airport at the same time the Hyde family was waiting for Micah to land at the airport.

Micah’s family met Post Malone as the newly returned missionary was waiting to get off the plane, and relatives were able to get a video of the singer congratulating Micah on his mission.

“We were all out there talking to him, but then once we went inside I was definitely excited to see my brother because it’s been a while,” Micah’s sister Halie Hyde told ABC4.com.

The Hyde family told the singer about Micah and why they were at the airport. After reuniting with Micah, family members told him they met the singer — and then they saw Post Malone again after Micah got off the plane.

“My dad had spotted him, he was like, ‘Come over here,’ so we run over and my dad’s like, ‘Post Malone! Micah’s here!’” Micah said. “Post Malone came over and talked to me, I got a picture with him, he came up and hugged me. He was a super nice guy, just had a good conversation.”

After meeting the singer, Micah remembered he had one last Book of Mormon to hand out as a missionary. He said he grabbed the book and ran back to where the singer was going through airport security.

“I was like, ‘Post do you have one of these?’” Micah said. “And he walks back out of security over to me and he’s like, ‘No I don’t,’ and I was like, ‘Here you go.’”

Micah said he hopes this experience reminds others to learn to set aside their differences and love their neighbors.

“If Post Malone can do it — and he’s probably one of the most famous singer-songwriters out there — then I think we can all do that, and just be kind to our neighbor,” Micah said.