A St. Paul man was given six months in jail and probation on Wednesday for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in Maplewood, then soliciting her 14-year-old friend for sex with a promise of money.

One of Xang Vang’s victims said she knew him by a fictitious name that he gave her online. She said he then “lured” her to a Maplewood middle school last year by promising marijuana in exchange for a sex act.

Xang Vang (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

“Everyone around me tells me that this is not my fault, that I was a victim, and that I am not to blame,” she said in a victim impact statement read in court by Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Treye Kettwick. “However, despite all this, I keep blaming myself.”

Last month, Vang pleaded guilty to two charges of an amended criminal complaint: first-degree criminal sexual conduct and engaging in electronic communication describing sexual conduct with a child.

A plea agreement called for a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines to a stayed prison sentence and jail term of up to a year. It also included a consensus that the state would not charge Vang in connection with alleged criminal sexual conduct involving a second 13-year-old girl.

Judge Adam Yang stayed a 12-year prison sentence for 15 years, during which time Vang, 38, will be on supervised probation. He will be allowed work release during his jail term, which will begin Sept. 25. He will receive credit for three days he served in custody after his arrest and before he posted a $250,000 bond.

In granting the departure to probation, Yang cited Vang’s continued participation in sex-offender treatment and that he “accepted responsibility from the beginning and is very remorseful for what he did.”

Arrested at Maplewood park

According to the complaint, Maplewood police received a tip on April 18, 2023, about a man who was communicating with a 14-year-old girl, identified as Victim B, through email and Snapchat and trying to solicit sex from her. He was identified as Vang.

Police received a report that Vang previously had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old in his vehicle behind a middle school after also communicating with her through email and Snapchat.

The girl, identified as Victim C, was interviewed at the Midwest Children’s Resource Center and disclosed the assault. She said Vang gave her a jar of marijuana edibles afterward.

“I immediately felt guilty,” the girl said in her victim impact statement. “My hands were shaking and I was struggling to breathe.”

Vang then contacted the girl and asked her to help him recruit Victim B so he could pay her for sex as well. Police reviewed text messages between the two girls, discussing what Vang was looking for, how much money he would pay for sex acts and where it would take place.

Police used Victim B’s cellphone to pose as her and continue a conversation with Vang. He reached out to her on April 19, 2023, asking how much money she wanted in exchange for sex acts. He agreed to meet her outside a middle school.

Police set up surveillance and apprehension teams, then directed Vang to an area near Wakefield Park in Maplewood. Vang circled the area several times in his SUV before pulling into the spot requested by police. He had $200 cash on him.

Apology to victims

Several of Vang’s family members were in the courtroom for his sentencing. Beforehand, some of them submitted to the court letters of support for him and expressed shock at what he did.

His wife, Sophia Lee, wrote: “While I am aware and very surprised of his current charges in Ramsey County, I believe that Xang is a good person but has made some bad choices. I do not agree with what he has done, but he is still my friend and partner. … In my heart, I truly believe he is not a harm to the community.”

Vang addressed the court, apologizing to the victims and their families. “With this opportunity,” he added, “I will continue with my treatment and ensure that nothing like this will ever happen again.”

State law requires Vang to register as a predatory offender for the remainder of his life.

Besides the standard conditions of probation, Judge Yang also imposed other conditions for Vang. They include participating in and successfully completing treatment or counseling programs ordered by the court; staying away from areas frequented by minors; no use of social networks or viewing pornography; and subscribing to an internet-monitoring service at his cost, as recommended by probation.

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