TOPEKA, KAN.– A federal jury convicted a Missouri man on one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, after he was arrested in an undercover operation.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Steven E. Spradley, 58, of Kansas City, Missouri, traveled from Jackson County, Missouri, to Osage County, Kansas, in July 2021 to have sex with whom he believed to be a 17-year-old girl he met online.
Spradley was actually communicating with an investigator from the Osage County Sheriff’s Office posing as a minor. The Osage County Sheriff’s Office is part of the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Spradley faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“While child predators have long been a threat, the internet has greatly extended their reach to seek out victims,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher. “As these criminals scour for opportunities to prey on our young people, I applaud law enforcement officers for their proactive approach to catching these criminals and hopefully put them behind bars before a child falls victim.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Walton and Stephen Hunting are prosecuting the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Joshua Courtney, Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Kansas 2024 · Alabama
- Victor Hernandez, Derrick Estelle, Ronald Cobb, Sexual Harassment, Kansas 2015 · Alabama
- Jeffrey D. Pierce, Sexual Exploitation of Minors, Kansas 2020 · Alabama
- Addison Jones, Attempted Child Pornography Production, Kansas City,… · Missouri
- Steven Michael George, Distributed Child Pornography, Missouri 2023 · Kansas
Key Facts
- State: Kansas
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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