Man sent to prison for statutory rape after admitting to exchanging vape pen for sex with teenager
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IDAHO FALLS — A local man will spend up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to statutory rape in an incident where he admitted to exchanging a vape pen for sex with a teenage girl.
On Monday, District Judge Dane H. Watkins Jr. sentenced Tyler M. Meng, 26, to spend between two and 20 years in prison. Meng signed a plea agreement with Bonneville County prosecutors amending a felony lewd conduct charge to rape where the victim is under 16 and the perpetrator is 18 or older.
The Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip that Meng and a 15-year-old girl were exchanging sexually explicit messages, according to court documents. In February, the Idaho Falls Police Department interviewed the victim who said in 2019 the then 15-year-old victim and Meng had sex three times at his then-Ammon home.
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The victim said she did not like Meng, but agreed to have sex with him in exchange for a vape pen her teenage friend wanted. The victim reportedly described the incidents as consensual despite feeling uncomfortable. She said Meng knew of her age, but told others she was 18 so he wouldn’t get into trouble.
The victim said she met Meng through her friend who was engaging in a sexual relationship with Meng’s roommate, 27-year-old Ian Brown. Both teenage girls would travel together to the Ammon home and have sex in the men’s bedrooms, according to court documents. At one point in the interview, the victim told police one time she also “hooked up” with Brown.
In addition to the prison sentence, Meng will have to pay a $1,000 fine and register as a sex offender once released from prison.