A Canadian man has pleaded guilty to molesting a teen in Atlanta after he was captured crossing the U.S. border last year.
Royce Eric-Bernard Rivard, 24, on Monday pleaded guilty to four counts of child molestation and one count of enticing a child for indecent purposes, FOX5 Atlanta reported.
Rivard was detained at a U.S. port of entry from Canada into Michigan in April 2023 – a month after the teen came forward to her parents about the abuse, the report said.
“We applaud and appreciate the victim’s courageousness in speaking about her abuser,” Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine said in a statement. “Too often these incidents go untold, leaving the victims to suffer in silence. We appreciate the efforts of our law enforcement partners and our team to stand up for this victim in court.”
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Royce Eric-Bernard Rivard pleaded guilty to four counts of child molestation and one count of enticing a child for indecent purposes. (Douglas County Sheriffs Office)
The 14-year-old victim told her parents that she met Rivard on social media before he traveled from his home in Canada to meet her in Atlanta in the summer of 2022, according to the report.
Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine praised the teen for coming forward about her abuse. (Google Maps)
Rivard groomed the teen, using her interest in celebrities to win her trust. He then rented an Airbnb in Douglas County, where he molested the teen, the report said.
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The girl said that when she tried to cut ties with Rivard, he threatened to spread false information about her family and told her he knew where her family members lived and worked.
The teen’s parents immediately called police after hearing their daughter’s account of abuse. (Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
The teen told her parents in February 2023. The parents immediately called the police for help, and that April Rivard was detained.
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Following Monday’s guilty plea, Rivard was sentenced to 60 years in prison.