Fort Wayne Man Sentenced for Attempted Child Trafficking

A Fort Wayne man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to traffic a child.

According to the Department of Justice, 26-year-old Ryan Steele of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady.

The sentence came after Steele pleaded guilty to Attempted Transportation of a Minor, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Documents in the case reveal that in March 2023, Steele traveled from Indiana to Texas to meet up with a minor female whom he had been talking to online for five years.

Law enforcement discovered Steele attempting to locate the minor once he arrived in Texas. After his arrest, Steele admitted to traveling to bring the minor back to Indiana to live with him and engage in sexual activity.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Noble County Sheriff’s Office, the Kendallville Police Department, the Lagrange Police Department, and the LaPorte, Texas Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to protect children from exploitation and abuse.

Project Safe Childhood was created by the Department of Justice in 2006 to marshal federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.