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Lowell man sentenced to 60 years in prison for sex crimes with teen; history of being a predator

Posted at 11:11 AM, Sep 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-19 11:11:03-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A Lowell man has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for sex crimes against a child.

Justin Walling, 28, was sentenced in federal court Monday.  Walling will also have lifetime supervision after his release.

Walling was convicted in April of having enticed a 13-year-old girl in 2015 into having sex twice and sending him pornographic images.  Walling had also sent her nude photographs of himself.  The U.S. Attorney says that Walling used the name “Justin Blade” on Facebook to connect with the girl.

Walling had several previous convictions of criminal sexual conduct with minors dating back to 2004.

U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney said that the sentence was necessary to protect the public from Walling because he is a “predator who exploited a very vulnerable victim.”