Seattle – In a stark reminder of the dangers of online predators, a 73-year-old Tucson man has been handed a four-year prison sentence for traveling to Washington with the intent to engage in sexual acts with a fictitious minor. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Steven J. Migdon was arrested following an intensive online investigation by Seattle Police and the FBI.
Migdon, who lived a crime-free life until his transgression, was busted after communicating with an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old boy on a teen chatroom platform. The case took a sinister turn when Migdon flew from Tucson to Everett, Washington, believing he would meet the “teen” at a hotel room, only to be apprehended by law enforcement.
The investigation revealed that Migdon had sent sexually explicit images to other children and possessed images of child sexual abuse on his phone. Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson argued for the four-year sentence, emphasizing Migdon’s ten days of communication with a fictional minor before his travel to Washington.
In court, U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead noted Migdon’s previous clean record but stressed the gravity of his actions, saying, “The images you had on your phone represented real children and real abuse.” Migdon was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a fund for victims of child sex abuse images he possessed.
Migdon will be required to register as a sex offender and serve ten years of supervised release following his prison sentence. The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, the DOJ’s initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information on this initiative, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The FBI and Seattle Police Department led the investigation, while Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson prosecuted the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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