Former 'Weekly Reader' Editor Convicted of Soliciting Sex with Minor

Posted Friday, May 19, 2006 12:00 am

By: E&P Staff A former editor for the company that publishes the famed Weekly Reader newspaper for children has been convicted of soliciting sex from a minor.

Noel Neff, 47, of Norwalk, Conn., was arrested in July in the parking lot of the Franklin Village Mall. Over the Internet, He had arranged to meet, and have sex with, a 14-year-old named Chris. The boy was actually an adult FBI agent.

A federal jury in Boston convicted Neff on Thursday of using the Internet to induce a minor to engage in sexual activity, which carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and a maximum of 30.

He was also convicted of traveling across state lines to engage in sexual acts with a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Weekly Reader Corp., based in Stamford, Conn., publishes several magazines and periodicals for students, including the long-running Weekly Reader. The company fired Neff a few days after his arrest.

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Former 'Weekly Reader' Editor Convicted of Soliciting Sex with Minor

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