A Columbia man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole for attempting to meet a 14-year-old girl for illegal sexual activity.
Darren Wade Lasley, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on August 18, 2021, after being found guilty of attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
On June 14, 2017, Lasley responded to an online classified advertisement on Craigslist, which was part of an undercover operation by a detective in the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force posing as a 14-year-old girl.
In a series of email exchanges over the next several days, Lasley described his plans for a sexual encounter with the decoy. He proposed visiting her residence while her mother was at work or out of town, and even asked if the decoy could sneak out of her house to meet him for a sexual rendezvous.
Lasley was arrested on June 21, 2017, when he arrived at the arranged location.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley S. Turner and Aaron M. Maness, and was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Related Federal Cases
- Darren Wade Lasley, Attempting to Entice a Minor for Sex, Missouri 2017 · Virginia
- William Lee Dela Cruz, Enticing a Minor for Sex, Missouri 2017 · Kansas
- Joshua T. Wilson, Minor Sex Trafficking, Missouri 2024 · Kansas
- Kenneth Ronald Jones, Sex Trafficking a Minor, Missouri 2017 · Wisconsin
- Ryan Lee Christoph, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Missouri 2017 · Missouri
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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