Man sentenced to 7 years in prison after contacting Augusta County girl
STAUNTON — A California man was sentenced to seven years in prison last week in an Augusta County case involving a teenage girl.
Paulo V. Dieffenbacher, 42, of Huntington Beach, California, was convicted by an Augusta County jury in May 2022 on charges of online solicitation of a minor and solicitation of a minor to create pornography.
"So, asking her to send him pictures," said Augusta County Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Lorna Port. Dieffenbacher suggested different poses and what parts of the girl's body he wanted to see, Port said.
The victim, who was under the age of 16, was contacted by Dieffenbacher in 2017. "He was 37 at the time," Port noted.
The communications went on for a few months. He was living in the area when the offenses took place, according to Port.
The prosecutor said the girl reported him in 2021. Authorities arrested Dieffenbacher in California that same year after the allegations surfaced.
"He worked for an airline," Port said.
At his sentencing hearing held March 17, Dieffenbacher was sentenced to 30 years in prison with 23 suspended, giving him a total of seven years in prison. He was also placed on 20 years of supervised probation, court records show. Port said he will be registered as a sex offender.
Dieffenbacher remains at Middle River Regional jail and will be transferred to the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Man sentenced to 7 years after contacting Augusta County girl
