Dale Alan Grau, a 52-year-old man from Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on March 8, 2018, for the enticement and attempted enticement of a minor. Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose, Grau pleaded guilty to using the internet to lure a 14-year-old boy into engaging in illicit sexual activity.
The crime unfolded over four days in February 2017. According to court documents and the plea agreement, Grau made repeated attempts between February 20 and 23 to persuade the minor to meet for sexual purposes. Communications were conducted entirely online, exploiting digital platforms to target a child barely into adolescence.
Following his guilty plea, Grau was handed a decade-long federal prison sentence and will face an additional ten-year period of supervised release upon his release. The sentence reflects the severity of the offense and the federal government’s zero-tolerance stance on crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.
The investigation that led to Grau’s arrest was a sweeping multi-agency effort. Agencies involved included the Marion County Attorney’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Pella Police Department, Pleasantville Police Department, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Indianola Police Department, Mid Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood,” a nationwide initiative launched in 2006. The program integrates law enforcement, prosecution, public outreach, and community resources to combat child sexual exploitation in all its forms.
Federal authorities urge the public to remain vigilant. Anyone with knowledge of child sexual abuse is urged to call the 24-hour Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821. Reports of online exploitation can be made through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com.
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