A Port St. Lucie mom of two young girls will spend the next few years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a teenage boy.
Rebecca Christine McGraw, now 39, has spent more than a year in jail waiting for the conclusion of her case. She is expected to spend another 2½ to 3 years behind bars.
McGraw pled no contest to one felony count each of sexual activity with a minor and transmission of materials harmful to a minor. She originally faced 19 counts of sexual activity with a minor.
Her daughters, in the interim, had been removed from the home and placed in the care of another family member, according to court records.
In the interest of saving the minor and his family the turmoil of trial, McGraw and the prosecution struck a plea deal, dropping the 18 other sex charges.
Under the terms of the plea deal, McGraw will serve 10 years of sex offender probation following her release from prison. Probation could be terminated after five years provided McGraw does not violate probation.
McGraw must also undergo a mental health evaluation and follow any recommended treatments. She must also not make contact with the victim.
The maximum penalty, according to court records, would have been 15 years in prison per charge – effectively a life sentence if not ordered to be served concurrently.
Court records show that McGraw agreed to the plea deal because she believed the plea to be in her best interest, though “I am innocent of the charge, charges, violations, or have a defense.”
The case dates back to early 2016 when a child-abuse case was opened against McGraw.
During the investigation, the allegations of child abuse and neglect were unfounded, as was an allegation of sexual contact with a minor.
A year later, the alleged minor shared with his mother a text he received from McGraw encouraging him to be screened for a sexually transmitted disease.
The mother then contacted authorities and a new investigation was launched, according to the arrest affidavit.
Authorities were able to get the teen to cooperate, which he didn’t do in 2016. The teen told investigators that he had met McGraw while living in the apartment complex. He explained he didn’t cooperate with the 2016 investigation because he feared his family would be evicted because McGraw worked there.
Following the first investigation, McGraw moved out of the complex, according to court records.
During the course of the second investigation, authorities learned from the teen that he and McGraw had sexual encounters more than a dozen times and typically included him receiving $100 to $300 cash.
Authorities were able to secure numerous text messages sent from McGraw to the teen.
“Many of those conversations from Rebecca to [victim] revealed photographs of Rebecca, including very graphic and incriminating text messages,” the arrest report states.
