The San Diego Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force are asking for the public's help in identifying potential victims of an alleged sexual offender from University City.
Eric Jacob Layton, who previously went by Eric Leighton Abrams, is accused of posing as a doctor, sports reporter, massage therapist and youth sports modeling agent in order to solicit sexually explicit photographs from minors and/or arrange in-person meetings with the juveniles.
He is facing federal charges in Florida, but according to the FBI, several other potential victims have been identified and are believed to be based out of San Diego.
The FBI said victims who participated in youth sports were primarily targeted. Layton has presented himself as a sports massage therapist named Travis Parkin who specialized in youth athletics and as a sports physician named Dr. Alexis Iniesta, the FBI said.
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Layton was arrested last Thursday at his home in connection with the alleged solicitation of a 15-year-old Florida boy and awaits extradition to Florida.
According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, Layton originally reached out to the boy via Instagram and claimed to be a writer for a sports publication.
He later allegedly posed as a physician -- Dr. Iniesta -- and asked the boy a series of questions over the phone that he claimed were necessary for the boy to participate in his sport. Many of the questions were sexually explicit in nature, according to the complaint, which states Layton also sought pictures of the boy that he claimed "were required to determine the minor victim's physical development."
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The Instagram and email accounts used to contact the boy were found to be linked to Layton, the complaint states.
Layton was booked into county jail and held on $275,000 bail. He was later released on bond with a hearing set for July 17.
Anyone with information regarding suspicious contact with Layton was encouraged to email the FBI at laytoninvestigation@fbi.gov.