Richard Roman, Child Sex Abuse, Ohio 2024

A Pataskala man has been sentenced to 144 months in prison and 20 years supervised release for attempting to engage in unlawful sexual activity with a minor, according to a recent court ruling.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Mark Porter, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, announced the sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

Richard Roman, 42, of Pataskala, Ohio, was discovered by undercover agents with the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force after he posted a classified on Craigslist.org titled “I wanna be your Daddy.” On January 16, Roman communicated with undercover agents to arrange what he believed would be a sexual encounter with an 11-year-old female.

Subsequent to these communications, Roman was placed under arrest by members of the ICAC Task Force. Investigators discovered candy, a flower, chewing gum, condoms, and a bottle of personal lubricant in Roman’s vehicle.

“Although the defendant’s offense in this case fortunately did not involve a real child, the defendant’s words and actions explicitly demonstrate that he had every intention to sexually abuse an 11-year-old child on repeated occasions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Hill told the court.

Roman pleaded guilty on May 8 to one count of attempting to coerce or entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. Roman has been in custody since his arrest.

The Franklin County ICAC Task Force is a multi-agency effort dedicated to the fight against computer-facilitated crimes against children. The following agencies are members:

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Upper Arlington Police Department, Grove City Police Department, Columbus Police Department, Grandview Heights Police Department, Whitehall Police Department, Hilliard Police Department, Westerville Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Secret Service, and the Ohio ICAC, as well as the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. government to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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