Terry Joseph Jette, Attempted Coercion and Enticement, Montana 2022

Terry Joseph Jette, 56, Faces 10 Years to Life in Prison for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of Minor

MISSOULA, Montana - Terry Joseph Jette, 56, has admitted to attempting to coerce and entice a minor into engaging in sexual activity during an undercover investigation.

According to U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson, Jette pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement as charged in an indictment. He faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years to a lifetime of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided over the case. Sentencing is set for March 30, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Jette is currently being detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged that on June 21, Jette initiated a conversation on Instagram with a 13-year-old user who was actually an undercover FBI special agent. Despite being told that the girl was 13 years old, Jette continued online communication with the girl until his arrest on July 9.

During the communications, Jette sent the girl an image of his penis and requested nude images of the purported child. He initiated sexually explicit conversation with the girl, suggested a meeting, and discussed bringing methamphetamine and condoms to the meeting.

On July 8, Jette traveled from Anaconda to Missoula to meet the girl and asked her to sneak out of her house. When the girl was unable to meet that day, Jette suggested a meeting the next day in East Missoula. He made explicit statements about engaging in sexual intercourse and said he had meth.

On July 9, Jette was arrested at the predetermined meeting location. During a search of his vehicle, law enforcement found a condom, meth, Viagra, and candy that the girl had told Jette she liked during their online communications.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Missoula County Sheriff's Office.

The case was initiated under the Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/anaconda-man-admits-attempted-coercion-enticement-minor-sex-undercover-investigation