Olyphant Man Pleads Guilty to Enticing Minor

SCRANTON—In a gritty case of cyber exploitation, Brian LaChance, 27, from Olyphant, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to using the internet to attempt to entice a 15-year-old girl into illegal sexual conduct. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that LaChance admitted his actions in November 2015.

United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler detailed how LaChance, through online messaging and a cell phone, sought to persuade the young victim to send him explicit photographs. This despicable offense was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Army criminal investigators, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa leading the prosecution.

The charges against LaChance stem from Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating the epidemic of child sexual exploitation. The program marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

LaChance’s sentence will be determined by Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr., after considering applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison also applies.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge must weigh various factors, including the nature of the offense, defendant characteristics, and public safety needs. The statutory maximum penalty is not necessarily indicative of the sentence for LaChance.