WEST CHESTER, PA — Graham Roman, a 33-year-old man from Malvern, PA, was convicted on several charges this week, including criminal solicitation and indecent assault, by a Chester County jury. He was found guilty of having sexual contact and attempting sexual contact with two minor females between April and August 2021.
Chester County DA Deb Ryan expressed gratitude to the Pennsylvania State Police and Exeter Township Police for their investigation into a case involving a defendant who groomed children to exploit their innocence. “The defendant groomed these children in an effort to corrupt them so he could take advantage of their innocence,” said Ryan.
“He put them in dangerous situations because of his depraved interests. We are thankful to the Pennsylvania State Police and the Exeter Township Police Department for their thorough investigation into this case. We are also grateful to the jury for this outcome.”
On the evening of April 21, 2021, the Exeter Township Police Department responded to a report of a missing 14-year-old girl. The child returned home late that night. Investigations revealed that she had spent the time with Roman, who had picked her up from her residence in Berks County, PA, and taken her back to Charlestown Township, Chester County, without her mother’s knowledge.
Roman had met the victim through a family member and communicated with her through Instagram and text messages. He sent her explicit images and requested the same in return. During the time the girl was with him, Roman solicited and attempted indecent contact with her. When he suspected police were searching for the girl, he arranged a Lyft ride to take her home.
In August 2021, another victim, an 11-year-old girl, reported to the Pennsylvania State Police that Roman had given her alcohol and a lollipop believed to be laced with THC. She reported that Roman had been communicating with her secretly for days before the incident. Roman had created a TikTok account for her, showed her pornographic videos, and asked to film explicit videos of her.
Roman also convinced her to sneak out of her home to meet him. He drove her to a local bar’s parking lot, which her father tracked via her cell phone. Roman then instructed her to run home through the woods to avoid being caught. On returning home, she disclosed Roman’s actions to her father, who reported the incident to the police.
The Pennsylvania State Police and the Exeter Township Police Department were the investigators in this case. Senior Deputy District Attorney Erin O’ Brien prosecuted the case.
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