ALBANY, NEW YORK – A Chicago man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to entice a 12-year-old child into sexual activity and distributing child pornography.
Eric Ross, 36, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in Albany, New York, for attempting to entice and coerce a 12-year-old child into sexual activity and for distributing and possessing child pornography.
According to court documents, between October 22, 2021, and November 6, 2021, Ross sent sexually explicit text messages to someone he believed was an adult offering the sexual services of a 12-year-old girl, and to someone he believed was the 12-year-old girl, in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him.
Ross also admitted to distributing child pornography via an internet-based messaging application during the same period. On November 6, 2021, he traveled to a hotel in Colonie, New York, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the 12-year-old girl. Ross was arrested by law enforcement shortly after arriving at the location and was found in possession of child pornography at the time of his arrest.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents, and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police and the Colonie Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Hartunian prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). The program marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Ross was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim whose images he possessed and to forfeit the device that contained the child pornography. He will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Sex CrimesSex CrimesSex CrimesSex Crimes