In Midland today, a federal judge sentenced 37-year-old
Midland resident Cole S. Crocker to 20 years in federal prison for attempting
to entice a minor into sexual activity, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash,
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw and FBI Special Agent
in Charge Luis Quesada, El Paso Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge David
Counts ordered that Cole pay a $50,000 fine, pay a $5,000 special assessment
under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA), and be placed on
supervised release for a period of ten years after completing his prison term.
“The defendant in this case attempted to have sex with an
eight-year-old girl—eight years old. I
would say that parents can rest easy with this man in federal prison, but there
are so many more predators like him. We remain committed to the fight against
child abuse,” stated U.S. Attorney Bash.
On September 4, 2019, a jury convicted Crocker of one count
of attempted online enticement of a minor.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that on March 22, 2019, Crocker
responded to an online advertisement uploaded by an FBI undercover agent. Crocker began chatting with the undercover
agent via messaging applications, and the conversation quickly turned graphic
and sexual in nature. The undercover
agent represented to Crocker that he had access to an eight-year-old girl for
sex, and Crocker expressed interest. As
the chats progressed, Crocker also engaged in several recorded phone
conversations with the undercover agent where they discussed the logistics of a
meet-up to have sex with the eight-year-old girl. Crocker was arrested later that evening when
he arrived at the purported meeting location in Midland.
This investigation and arrest was the result of a joint
operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane A. Chriesman is
prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
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