Eric James Templeton Gets 15 Years for Child Luring Plot

Eric James Templeton, a 33-year-old man from St. Petersburg, Florida, is headed to federal prison for 15 years after attempting to meet and sexually abuse a 5-year-old child. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber in Tampa, marks the end of a digital seduction that never reached its intended victim—because the ‘mother’ and ‘child’ were part of an undercover sting operation.

Templeton pleaded guilty on March 9, 2021, to charges of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. Between May 19 and May 21, 2020, he exchanged a series of explicit online messages and texts with someone he believed was the parent of a 5-year-old. In reality, the person was an agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) posing as the child’s mother in a coordinated operation to catch predators.

During the conversations, Templeton made his intentions brutally clear—discussing in graphic detail his desire to meet and sexually assault the young child. On May 21, 2020, he agreed to meet the ‘mother’ and her child at a location in Tampa. He arrived as planned, only to be immediately arrested by HSI agents waiting to take him into custody.

A search of Templeton’s person revealed chilling evidence: a bottle of lubricant and two lollipops. The items suggest premeditation and a twisted attempt to manipulate or pacify a young victim. The discovery reinforced the prosecution’s argument that this was not a hypothetical or coerced scenario, but a deliberate, planned act of predation.

‘Thanks to the partnership between HSI special agents and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, this child predator will now be behind bars,’ said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.

In addition to 15 years in prison, Templeton was ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay $11,700 in restitution. The case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative targeting child sexual exploitation. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/psc.