Stephen Farleigh, 51, of Walton, New York, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment to be followed by 15 years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner "for attempted enticement of a minor," as stated in the release.
Farleigh "used the internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity" between Oct. 21, 2021, and Feb. 9, 2022, U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam said.
He then traveled to Central Pennsylvania, "with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a 13-year-old child," according to Karam.
Initially, Farleigh entered a "not guilty plea," but on Jan. 31, 2023, a plea agreement was reached, and on Feb. 16, the original plea was withdrawn and a "guilty" plea was entered, court records obtained by Daily Voice show.
Farleigh will have to serve all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
You can learn more about Project Safe Childhood here.
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