A Union man who posed as a teenager online to lure a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship is on his way to prison.

Justin Hively, 25, was sentenced Friday in Cass County Circuit Court to six to 15 years in prison with credit for 87 days already served. Hively was convicted by jury of two criminal sexual conduct offenses in January. Testimony from the victim and DNA evidence led to the verdict.

Similar charges are pending in Allegan County for a similar offense involving a teenage girl from Plainwell, Mich.

Prosecutor Victor Fitz said Hively was “lying to himself” in denying any sexual involvement with the girl.

“In his fantasy world he sees himself as a high school casanova but really all he is is an Internet predator,” Fitz said.

Fitz said he received a “narcissistic” letter from Hively that focused on all his problems without mentioning the fact he “victimized a girl.”

“Not once did he mention the terrible impact on these girls,” Fitz said.

Defense attorney Carol Montavon Bealor pointed to her client’s clean past criminal record with no prior felonies and asked for a sentence at the low end of the guidelines.

The offense took place in January of last year when Hively posed as a 17-year-old and began communicating with the victim on social networking sites, like MySpace.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Dodge said Hively convinced the girl to lie to her parents and come with him to Hively’s parents’ house in Union, where they engaged in sexual acts.

He was later arrested and bonded out, but soon after allegedly lured another teenage girl and committed sexual acts with her in his car. Charges are pending in Allegan County.

For his part, Hively appeared remorseful, directly apologizing to the victim’s family that was in the court room.

“I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you,” he said, choking back tears. “I wish I would have never came to pick you up that day.”

He also apologized to his own family and girlfriend.

Hively asked for leniency for the court, adding he had “learned a lot since being incarcerated.”

Fitz also took the opportunity to remind parents of the dangers of online sexual predators.

“The four walls of the home are not the only protection children needs these days,” he said. “(Parents) need to closely monitor electronic communication.”