Thomas Anthony Lanier, Child Enticement, Oregon 2023

In a shocking case of child endangerment, Thomas Anthony Lanier, a 24-year-old resident of Corvallis, Oregon, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor online and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Lanier, a convicted sex offender since he was 18, was charged in Sunnyside, Washington with second degree kidnapping and domestic violence in November 2019 after he tried to kidnap the one-year-old child of a woman he met online.

According to court documents, in June 2020, Lanier met a Keizer, Oregon woman online and pressured her to solicit babysitting jobs on Craigslist so he could have access to children. Lanier later expressed his desire to have sex with the woman's 12-year-old cousin who he had seen in a photo.

After these exchanges, the woman reported Lanier to law enforcement, who set up a sting operation. On July 9, 2020, Lanier planned to meet the woman and her cousin at a vacant house in Salem, Oregon, where he intended to purchase alcohol and engage in sexual activity with them.

However, when Lanier arrived at the house, he was met by law enforcement and arrested. On July 8, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Lanier with attempting to entice a minor online, accessing with intent to view child pornography, illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and committing a felony offense involving a minor as a registered sex offender.

Lanier pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor online and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon on January 5, 2023. The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Keizer and Salem Police Departments.

This case was prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. The sentence was handed down on May 30, 2023, and includes a life term of supervised release.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/corvallis-sex-offender-sentenced-15-years-federal-prison-attempted-online-enticement