Legal Question in International Law in Virginia

US Citizen speaking with Minor from Namibia

My roomate, a US citizen, has been speaking with a girl in Namibia, Africa who is only 16. I believe they have been speaking erotically (not sharing pictures or anything such as that, just speaking erotically). I do not want him to get in trouble as he is a good friend of mine. The legal age of consent in Namibia is 16. In the US, obviously it is 18. So since he is in the US, does she have to be 18? Can US law hurt him? Or is it ok since her countries age of consent is only 16? And they have not shared any pornographic material.

Thank you.


Asked on 5/23/06, 6:42 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: US Citizen speaking with Minor from Namibia

You claim that your roommate, a "US citizen, has been speaking erotically" with an alleged girl from Namibia of the supposed tender age of sixteen years. Assuming that the "speaking" you've referenced means communicating over the Internet, how likely is it that such an alleged person in Namibia would have the means to carry out such communication at the age of 16.

Not very, I would think. The person your "roommate" has more likely been communicating with is a law enforcement officer patrolling the chatroom for child sexual predators.

Need anything more be said as to your other issues?

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Answered on 5/24/06, 9:30 am
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: US Citizen speaking with Minor from Namibia

I neglected to add that another possibility is that this so-called 16 year old girl from Namibia(if not a police officer) is none other than one of these Nigerian scamsters who proliferate on the Internet and who specialize in drawing the the unwary and the naive into their multifarious and fraudulent schemes.

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Answered on 5/24/06, 9:36 am


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