A 32-year-old man from Hawaii was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to entice a 13-year-old girl in order to engage in unlawful sexual activity with her. Zachariah Fredrickson, from Kapolei, Hawaii, was also slapped with ten years of supervised relief and a payment of $5,000 special assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.
"My office will continue to protect children in our communities from those who lurk in the corners of cyberspace seeking opportunities to exploit them. These kinds of prosecutions put child sex predators on notice that the Department of Justice will not sit by idly by while they try to take advantage of children," US Attorney Kenji M. Price said, in a statement.
Intention of Having Sexual Activity With a Minor
According to the documents and information presented at the District of Hawaii, Fredrickson engaged in a series of online chats with who he thought was a 13-year-old minor girl on March 25 2019. However, he was not aware that the minor he was communicating with was an undercover agent.
During the course of their exchange, Fredrickson arranged for a meeting with the girl with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with her. He also agreed to compensate the girl with a payment of $100 per hour for sexual liaisons with her.
Law Catches Up
After having a conversation and arriving at an agreement, Fredrickson traveled to the agreed-upon location. He was arrested later. "In today's world the internet allows our children to connect globally. Unfortunately many parents, do not know who their children are connecting with online," Eli S. Miranda, FBI Special Agent in Charge, stated.
Talking about the FBI's commitment to bring such offenders to justice, Miranda added, "Predators like Fredrickson use technology to sexually exploit our children. But the FBI remains vigilant and committed to catching these criminals and ensuring that justice is served."
