Former Arlington attorney accused of using ‘sugar daddy’ site to lure underage victims
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A former Arlington attorney who allegedly used a "sugar daddy" website to lure underage victims into sexual encounters has been indicted by a grand jury.
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Prosecutors say Matthew Erausquin, 46, victimized six underage girls, and three other young adults from June 2017 through August 2020.
In one instance, investigators say he pretended to be 18 or 19-years-old online.
Fairfax County police initially investigated the case before the FBI got involved and say they’re familiar with such websites that cater to older wealthy men linking up with younger women seeking financial assistance.
Just last week, a former Fairfax County doctor was indicted on charges of rape and abduction. Investigators say Drew Steiner also met victims on a sugar daddy site.
"There’s a dark side to the Internet," said Fairfax County Police Major Ed O’Carroll, who specializes in cyber crimes. "We saw it in this case. People posing to be people they aren’t. Infiltrating our homes and our families. Most importantly, our youth and those that are vulnerable. And this case is an example of that."
A consumer lawyer at the time, Erausquin allegedly paid $500 to $800 to young girls for sexual encounters. In one case, he offered to pay $1,000 for a "threesome" with two victims, according to city documents.
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Investigators say he also gave girls marijuana and expensive gifts.
Erausquin is accused of secretly recorded some encounters – and continued to have sex with some after they’d turned 18.
In at least one case, a victim moved out of state, and Erausquin allegedly flew her back to Virginia for the holidays.
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He’s been charged with six counts of sex trafficking of minors, one count of production of child pornography, one count of transporting a person across state lines for purposes of prostitution, and three counts of coercion and enticement to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution.
He could face a minimum of 15 years in prison, or a maximum of life if he’s convicted.
His attorneys say such a sentence would be extreme.
In a statement sent to FOX 5’s Lindsay Watts, Frank Salvato and Christopher Amolsch said:
"Mr. Erausquin used a well known website that represents it has sophisticated age verification for its users. Unfortunately, it appears the website did not verify the ages of the individuals in question who apparently were untruthful about their true age when posting their profiles. Mr. Erausquin stands ready to cooperate with law enforcement about this website but to seek a 10 or 15 year mandatory minimum prison sentence for this situation and any accompanying videos seems excessive."