there’s a difference between something being wrong and illegal, and something being much more wrong and much more illegal….
legally i don’t think “but i thought she was 18” counts. not that he was prosecuted anyways.
….
i don’t know who’s defending him, personally i’m just talking about exaggerated headlines and accuracy.
for all i know, he knew she was 17 and required her to make a profile saying she was 18 and pretend to meet him through there so he can have plausible deniability…. actually i’d say that more likely, but i don’t know