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Russell DevineyArticle from KATU.

A 50-year-old Washington man has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for sodomizing and raping a girl he met online while he posed as an 18-year-old boy.

Russell Deviney pleaded guilty earlier this month to rape, unlawful sexual penetration, sodomy and using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. He was also charged with kidnapping, sex abuse and another set of charges before eventually reaching a deal with the District Attorney’s Office.

Deviney posed as 18-year-old “James Russell” on Instagram, which he used to befriend a teenager from Sanger, California. Court documents said the girl got into a fight with her mom so “James Russell” suggested they meet up for a “one-day vacation.”

She packed her belongings and met JR, who at that point told her he was twice her age.

He refused to let her go home, told her they were traveling to Oregon and took the SIM card from her phone, telling her “police can track those,” documents say.

She told police once they reached Oregon, she awoke to Deviney rubbing and sexually abusing her, then taking photos of her. The teen claims she was sexually assaulted several other times during the trip.

At one point, she told police she was able to put her SIM card back inside her phone and made contact with her mother. On their way back to Oregon from Washington state, police officers called Deviney. He parked at an Astoria McDonald’s, told the teen he was getting a car part, and never returned.

The teen called her mom from the car, who advised her to go inside the McDonald’s and call police. She was safely reunited with her family.

Deviney was arrested later that week.


If you or someone you care about was sexually abused and you would like advice from an attorney about the rights and options for victims of child sexual abuse, please contact Crew Janci LLP today for a free, confidential consultation at 1-888-407-0224 or by using our private online form.  We will treat you with discretion and respect.

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Andria Seo

Andria Seo is an Associate Attorney at Crew Janci LLP. Andria is a graduate of the New York University School of Law. During law school, she worked with the National Center for Youth Law, the Legal Aid Society, and the NYCLU. Prior to joining the team at Crew Janci LLP, Andria advocated for vulnerable children and their families as a staff attorney at Partnership for Children’s Rights, a nonprofit based in New York City. Andria also previously worked assisting in the representation of victims of a terrorist attack in civil suits. Andria moved to Portland in 2016 and joined Crew Janci LLP in 2017. She is admitted to practice in Oregon and New York