Jason Koontz, Attempting to Entice a Minor, Iowa 2017

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

A man who attempted to lure a minor into a trap of child exploitation has pleaded guilty in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Jason Koontz, 34, of Clarence, Iowa, was convicted of one count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. According to the plea hearing, Koontz admitted to attempting to persuade, induce, or entice a person he believed to be a minor into engaging in illegal sexual activity back in July 2017.

Koontz now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, along with a $250,000 fine, $5,100 in special assessments, and supervised release for 5 years to life following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the program aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

The court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl and the case file number is CR 19-48.

This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of child exploitation and the importance of protecting our youth from predators. Grimy Times will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.

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