TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Yesterday afternoon after a two and a half day trial, Frantisek Pribyl, 48, of Snellville, Georgia, was convicted in the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee of attempted enticement of a minor and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The verdict was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
In February 2017, undercover investigators conducted “Operation Cupid’s Arrow" to identify individuals seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors. Pribyl responded to a Craigslist advertisement in which an undercover officer posed as the mother of a 14-year-old girl and then as the daughter. Over two days, Pribyl continued his conversation with the “girl" via e-mail, discussed sexual activity with her over e-mail and during a controlled telephone call, and traveled more than 250 miles to Tallahassee to meet her to have sex. Pribyl was arrested after arriving at the designated meeting location.
For the attempted enticement charge, Pribyl faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. For traveling to have sex with a minor, Pribyl faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 14, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.
The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Panama City Police Department, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher J. Thielemann.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
