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February 9, 2011

Arrest in Parker Colorado Evidence of Crackdown on Interstate Federal Sex Offense Prosecution

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While it has been rare in the past for the Federal Government to focus on State Sex Offender Cases, a recent decision of federal prosecutors of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) may illustrate a change in position.

Special ICE Agents arrested Gary Lee Waffle - 68 - for traveling from Washington State to Colorado "to engage in sex" with a child.

This was a Douglas County Colorado Internet "sting" operation in which a Parker Colorado.

Federal Crimes for Sexual Assault

Waffle was charged by Criminal Complaint with (1) Traveling With Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct; (2) Aggravated Sexual Abuse with Children; and (3) Attempted Coercion and Enticement, following his arrest in Parker.

These crimes can result in than 30 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine, or both in connection with each of the first two charges, and not more than life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, or both, on the third charge.

The Parker Police Department is a member of the national ICAC (Internet Crimes Against
Children) Task Force, which currently is funded by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The case investigation is part of Operation Predator, which is a nationwide ICE program intended to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers.

Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, and since then ICE agents have arrested more than 12,800 individuals.

Posted by H. Michael Steinberg | | Email This Post

August 8, 2010

Federal Criminal Law - The Long Arm of Federal Criminal Sex Offenses

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Oklahoma

A Deltona woman plead guilty Wednesday to federal charges in a case that gained national attention. She allegedly traveled to Oklahoma to have sex with a 14-year-old boy she met online.

Annamay Alexander, 44, entered her guilty plea in the Oklahoma City Federal Court House. Alexander spared herself a trial by admitting during the hearing that she drove to the Oklahoma City area January 9th to have sex with the boy. According to her arrest report she met the boy through an online Sony PlayStation 3 virtual-reality game.

Alexander was arrested in Texas in April, several weeks after authorities issued a warrant for her arrest. She has three children of her own close in age to the boy she was accused of having sex with.

The case started after Alexander drove from Florida to Oklahoma to meet the boy. The boy ran off with Annamay and his mother found him missing during the night. She confronted the pair when they returned to the boys home the next morning. Alexander reportedly told the boys mother she had traveled from Florida to meet the boy who had married her 9-year-old daughter.

During their investigation police found Alexander had sent sexually suggestive texts to the boy along with engaging in sexting with the boy by sending nude photo's of herself to him. Authorities also found a picture of Alexander stored in the boy's PlayStation console of her in her underwear.

In many of the text messages she sent to him Annamay used the boys last name when addressing herself and told him several times she was his wife.

Annamay Alexander faces up to 30 years in Federal prison when she is sentenced.

H. Michael's Take:

This case points up the extreme reach of federal sex offender criminal offender laws. These laws allow the federal government - acting through the US Department of Justice -- to charge individuals who comitt crimes between states...

Federal Sex Crimes include:

Federal sexual offense include:

Selling or buying of children (Section 2251A(a)(b))

Certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, including both distribution and receipt of visual depictions in books, magazines, periodicals, films, and videotapes (Section 2252)

Certain activities relating to material constituting or containing child pornography (Section 2252A)

Production of sexually explicit depictions of a minor for importation into the United States (Section 2260)

Transporting an individual in interstate or foreign commerce with the intent that the individual engage in prostitution or other illegal sexual activity (Section 2421)

Transportation of minors in interstate or foreign commerce, with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (Section 2423(a))

Interstate or foreign travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a juvenile (Section 2423(b))

Use of interstate facilities to transmit information about an individual under the age of 16, with "the intent to entice, encourage, offer, or solicit that minor to engage in any sexual activity that can be charged as a criminal offense." (Section 2425)


Posted by H. Michael Steinberg | | Email This Post

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