Dane Bowler, a 43-year-old resident of Veyo, Utah, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. This sentence comes after Bowler admitted to attempting to engage in sexual acts with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old child. He was convicted of coercion and enticement.
Court documents reveal that between November 1 and November 6, 2023, Bowler communicated via cellphone and the internet with an individual he thought was a minor. In reality, he was interacting with an undercover officer. During these exchanges, Bowler attempted to initiate sexual activity. Notably, Bowler had previously been convicted for the same offense in federal court in 2007, resulting in a five-year prison term and subsequent supervised release.
The announcement of Bowler's sentencing was made by Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti from the District of Utah. The investigation was conducted jointly by the State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorneys Brady Wilson and Christopher Burton from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project aims to utilize federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals exploiting children through the Internet while also identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
