Kenneth Gordon Wescott, 54, of Henderson, Nevada, was convicted Tuesday on one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. The verdict follows a two-day jury trial in U.S. District Court, where evidence painted a damning picture of a calculated predator using the internet to target what he believed was a 13-year-old girl.
Wescott was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 11, 2014, after initiating contact through a provocative ad he posted on mymojovillage.com. An undercover officer with the Henderson Police Department responded, posing as a minor. Over the course of weeks, Wescott engaged in sexually explicit emails and text messages, grooming the supposed teen and escalating his demands for intimate interaction.
Court records show the communications occurred between December 12, 2013, and January 4, 2014. Wescott didn’t stop at words—he pushed for a face-to-face meeting. When he showed up at the arranged location expecting to meet the girl, federal and local law enforcement arrested him on the spot.
U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden, who oversaw the prosecution, emphasized the dangers posed by predators online. “The defendant engaged in sexually explicit communications and grooming behavior with someone whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Fortunately, he was communicating with an undercover officer,” Bogden said. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect children from sexual predators.”
The investigation was a joint effort between the FBI and the Henderson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kilby C. Macfadden and Cristina D. Silva led the prosecution. U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon presided over the trial and will sentence Wescott on February 16, 2017.
This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation. The program unites federal, state, and local agencies to track down offenders who use digital platforms to prey on children. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Nevada
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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