New details revealed in alleged white supremacist pedophile’s plot to kidnap Fresno girl
Nathan Larson, an admitted pedophile and convicted felon from Virginia, will soon be facing federal prosecutors as the U.S. Attorney’s Office prepares to take over the child kidnapping case against him.
Meanwhile, the complaint in the case reveals new details about how Larson allegedly schemed to kidnap a 12-year-old Fresno girl.
Larson, 40, was scheduled to be arraigned in Fresno County Superior Court on Wednesday but he was in quarantine at the jail. He is expected to appear next week when the Fresno County District Attorney’s office also plans to dismiss the criminal charges against him without prejudice.
The legal move was made with the consultation and coordination of the United States Attorney’s Office, said Fresno County District Attorney spokesman Jerry Stanley.
“If, as is anticipated, the state court case is dismissed without prejudice, federal prosecutors will be able to proceed with their case against Larson forthwith,” Stanley said. “Larson will remain in the custody of the Fresno County Jail. If circumstances later warrant, state charges may be re-filed against Larson in state court.
Federal officials said the plan is to have the U.S. Attorney’s Office proceed with the prosecution of Larson. He faces multiple felonies for allegedly trying to convince a 12-year-old Fresno girl, with whom he was exchanging explicit messages, to return with him to Virginia.
His plot nearly succeeded, according to law enforcement.
Larson was caught on Dec. 14 at the Denver International Airport after the child’s parents reported her missing. The child was found safe and returned to her parents.
U.S. Attorney’s office spokeswoman Lauren Horwood, would not go into details about the case, other than to say: “...this case is like many other cases where local law enforcement and the feds decide where various cases can best be handled.”
Larson was indicted by a federal grand jury in Fresno on Jan. 28 and charged with kidnapping; transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity; coercion and enticement of a minor; sexual exploitation of a minor; receipt and distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum of three life sentences plus 50 years.
New details revealed in complaint
Included in the federal criminal complaint are new details of how Larson used the Kik Messenger app and Discord, a popular communication platform, to scout for potential victims to groom.
After connecting with the Fresno girl, he allegedly lured her over to a website promoting rape/kidnapping fetishes. There, Larson is alleged to have pressured the 12-year-old to submit explicit photos of herself.
The youth admits she sent Larson the photos and later told a friend that she had fallen in love with him, according to the complaint. There is also a string of text messages between Larson and the girl where he encourages her to send more explicit pictures and she says she wants to run away with him.
After being returned to Fresno, the girl told a representative of the Family Healing Center that she knew Larson was much older than her and that her parents did not give her permission to leave with him to Virginia. She also revealed that while at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Larson began kissing her and touching her body.
She later told detectives that Larson’s plan for her was to take her virginity and get her pregnant by 13, according to the complaint.
As detectives looked into Larson’s background, they also discovered he ran unsuccessfully in 2017 to become a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing District 31.
He also served 14 months of a 16-month sentence in federal prison in 2008 for threatening to kill the president. At the time, George Bush was outgoing and Barack Obama was elected in November of that year.
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 5:03 PM.
