Man Who Sexually Assaulted Collingswood Girl Sentenced: Feds

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — A Florida man who admitted to kidnapping a 12-year-old Collingswood girl and taking her to a hotel for sex has been sentenced to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, authorities announced.

Liam Heim, 21, of Gulfport, Fla., previously pleaded guilty to charges of traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and transportation of a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in unlawful sexual activity, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced.

Heim met the girl through an online forum he started on the messaging service Discord in early 2018, authorities said. He convinced the girl that they were in a romantic relationship, eventually convincing her to meet up with him in person for a sexual encounter, authorities said.

On March 29, 2018, he flew from Florida to Philadelphia, then traveled to Collingswood to pick the girl up, authorities said. He brought her to a hotel near the Philadelphia Airport where he sexually assaulted her for the next 36 hours, authorities said.

They were discovered in the room together after the girl was reported missing by her parents. Heim was arrested and the girl was rescued, authorities said.

During his first court appearance, the prosecutor alleged he fantasized about torturing the girl in a "sex dungeon," the Courier Post reports. Heim reportedly told the girl to turn off her cell phone and remove the battery so police couldn't find them after he picked her up at Knight Park in Collingswood and took her to a hotel room in Philadelphia. However, she convinced him to let her turn the phone on every so often to tell the time. Police were able to use that signal to track them down.

Heim was arrested without incident after the Camden County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit, Philadelphia Police Airport Unit and the Collingswood Police department found them in a hotel room on Bartram Avenue.

“The harm caused by any child exploitation is devastating and long-lasting,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said. “And in this case, the conduct wasn’t limited to online communications — this defendant followed through, traveled here from out-of-state, and actually assaulted a young and vulnerable child. There can be no doubt that our children and our community are safer now that this defendant is off the street. We stand ready with our federal and local partners to identify and prosecute all those who would prey upon minor children.”

“The sexual exploitation of children is a heinous offense,” Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia Special Agent Marlon V. Miller, said. “This joint investigation with the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit, Collingswood Police Department and Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit demonstrates HSI’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice.”