BELLE CHASSE, November 30, 2023
Charles J. Ballay, District Attorney for the Parish of Plaquemines, reports that on November 30, 2023, Michael Cone, age 48, was found guilty by a jury of Computer Aided Solicitation of a Minor. He was remanded to the custody of P.P.S.O., without bond, by The Honorable Judge Kevin D. Conner. Sentencing is set for December 5, 2023.
On December 31, 2021, a fifteen-year-old female victim received messages via snap chat from the defendant where he sent her nude photos, solicited her for sex, and shared his location. On a prior occasion, he also sent her a friend request and message through Facebook where he invited her to spend time with him on his shrimp boat as friends. The victim immediately reported the crime to a trusted family member and took screenshots of the messages and preserved the evidence. The defendant was found at his residence, a shipping container, and arrested by P.P.S.O.
The case was investigated by Detective Victoria Barrois who secured search warrants for his phone and social media accounts. Snap chat is frequently utilized by individuals engaging in criminal activity due to the nature of the messages not being stored. The screen shots coupled with the evidence from his Facebook account and his telephone corroborated the victim’s testimony.
This conviction carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of ten years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Mary Slavich Touzet and Jason Napoli. They were assisted by felony trial assistant, Viktorija Dekovic, and victim assistance coordinator, Rae Riley.
