Sarah Norton, 38, of Jewett City, Connecticut, was charged by indictment April 26 with enticing a minor and traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, announced United States Attorney William M. McSwain.
The indictment alleges that, via the internet, the defendant tried to persuade an individual whom she believed was 14 years old to engage in sexual activity, and that she traveled to Pennsylvania to pursue a sexual encounter.
If convicted the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of lifetime incarceration, a mandatory minimum ten years imprisonment, a mandatory minimum five years supervised release up to lifetime supervised release, a $500,000 fine, a $10,200 in special assessments.
The case was investigated by the Upper Macungie Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sherri A. Stephan.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
