Bryan M. Cole, Attempting to Entice a Minor, New York 2010

A Syracuse man has been charged with attempting to entice a minor after a lengthy investigation by law enforcement agencies.

Bryan M. Cole, 30, of Cicero, New York, pleaded guilty to attempting to persuade a child he believed to be 11 years old to engage in unlawful sexual contact with him.

According to court documents, Cole contacted a female child on the Internet in 2010. After the child's parents reported his sexually inappropriate chats to police, law enforcement took over the child's account and continued to correspond with Cole.

Cole admitted that in those chats, it was clear to him that the child was 11 years old, that he discussed engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the child, and that he arranged to meet with the child at a North Syracuse apartment on December 23, 2010, a day he believed was her 12th birthday, with the intent to engage in sexual conduct with her.

When Cole arrived at the apartment as arranged, he was met by members of the New York State Police and arrested. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest.

Cole is scheduled to be sentenced for his offense on August 23, 2013, before Hon. David N. Hurd in Utica, New York. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Any sentence of imprisonment must be followed by a term of supervised release of no less than 5 years, and up to life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender, and may be fined up to $250,000.

Cole's arrest was a result of an investigation by the City of Fulton Police Department and the New York State Police, with the assistance of the United States Secret Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Fletcher. This cooperative investigation and federal prosecution is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny/pr/cicero-man-pleads-guilty-attempting-entice-minor