COLUMBUS, Ohio - Keegan L. Sipe, 31, of Huber Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty in United States District Court to attempted coercion and enticement of minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Upper Arlington Police Chief Brian Quinn, Marlon Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and other members of the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.
According to court documents, in December 2014, Sipe attempted to persuade an individual via the Internet to engage in sexual activity with females he believed to be 10 and 14 years old. Investigators discovered an advertisement on Craigslist soliciting a “taboo mother and daughter" that stated, “Get with me if you and daughter would like to have some fun. Kinky and taboo age no matter."
When an undercover investigator responded to the advertisement, Sipe engaged in conversation with the law enforcement official. He believed the investigator was a father arranging for Sipe to meet with his two minor daughters to engage in sexual activity.
On Dec. 20, 2014, Sipe arranged to meet the undercover officer in the Bob Evans parking lot in Hilliard, Ohio. Upon his arrival, he was taken into custody.
The parties involved in this case have agreed to a 10-year prison sentence for Sipe.
The Franklin County ICAC Task Force is a multi-agency effort dedicated to the fight against computer facilitated crimes against children. The following agencies are members:
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Upper Arlington Police Department
Grove City Police Department Columbus Police Department
Grandview Heights Police Department Whitehall Police Department
Hilliard Police Department Westerville Police Department
Homeland Security Investigations U.S. Secret Service
Ohio ICAC Franklin County Prosecutor's Office
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims.
U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by the Franklin County ICAC Task Force, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica H. Kim and Heather A. Hill, who are representing the United States in this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
