A Kentucky man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to traveling to Illinois to engage in sexual activity with a minor.
Justin A. Wadsworth, 37, pleaded guilty to Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Attempted Commercial Sex Trafficking of a Child in a U.S. District Court in Benton, Illinois.
The crimes took place in May 2020, when Wadsworth responded to an online ad referencing incest and began conversing with an undercover FBI agent.
Wadsworth expressed interest in ‘young active fun’ and stated he would pay $1,000 to engage in sexual activity with a 10-year-old girl.
He sent photos of females in various degrees of nudity and asked to see sexually-explicit photos of the girl.
Wadsworth arranged a meeting in Metropolis, Illinois, but was approached by federal agents and consented to an interview.
He claimed he had agreed to meet with the purported father to expose him and rescue the girl.
In addition to the 15-year sentence, Wadsworth received five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $500 in fines and $200 in special assessments.
The FBI-Springfield conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Bloodworth prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched in 2006 to combat the increase in child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Related Federal Cases
- Robert R. Rodriguez, Attempted Sex Offenses, Illinois 2023 · Kentucky
- Kevin R. Duffy, Traveling for Sex with Minor, Illinois 2020 · Kentucky
- Willie Watson, Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, Illinois 2024 · Tennessee
- James Matthew Shelton, Child Sex Exploitation, KY 2024 · Michigan
- Matthew Lyons, Sex Trafficking, Kentucky 2020 · Kentucky
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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