FRANKLIN, Mass. (AP) – An editor for the publishing company that puts out the venerable Weekly Reader newspaper for schoolchildren was arrested for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor on the Internet.

Noel Neff, 46, of Norwalk, Conn., was arrested Saturday in the parking lot of the Franklin Village Mall, where he’d arranged to meet and have sex with someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy named Chris.

It was actually undercover FBI agent David George, a member of the Cyber Crimes Squad of the FBI’s Boston office. The two had arranged the meeting following a series of instant message conversations spanning more than two months, according to an affidavit filed by George.

Neff is charged with crossing state lines to solicit sex from a minor, a federal crime. He was released on $25,000 unsecured bond after an appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boston.

Weekly Reader Corp., based in Stamford, Conn., publishes several magazines and periodicals for students, including Teen Newsweek, Current Events, Current Health and Career World.

Mia Toschi, a Weekly Reader Corp. spokeswoman, said the company employs an editor named Noel Neff from Norwalk.

“We are deeply troubled by this report,” Toschi said. “We will fully cooperate with the authorities and have no other comment or information at this time.”

There was no answer Tuesday at a listing for Noel Neff in Norwalk.

AP-ES-07-12-05 1644EDT