Woodstock Man Tried To Meet Child For Sexual Encounter: Feds

WOODSTOCK, GA — A Woodstock man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a child, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said. Jeffrey Everett Roberts, 48, was sentenced last week after pleading guilty in February to one count each of attempted enticement of a minor and possession of child pornograhy.

Roberts' plea and subsequent sentence shows how federal and state law enforcement partners "have stopped yet another individual who attempted to prey on a minor through the internet," said BJay Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

“Those who target children should know they will be exposed and prosecuted," he added.

According to federal prosecutors, Roberts was arrested on May 4, 2017, after corresponding with a person he thought was an underage girl, but turned out to be an undercover agent. The investigation began on April 20, 2017, when Roberts responded to an advertisement posted on Craigslist.

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In follow-up communications, the feds state Roberts claimed to have experience with "sexual encounters with children" and made plans to meet the fictitious girl. He traveled from his job in Norcross to a fast food joint in Buford to meet the minor child for the planned encounter, according to a federal criminal complaint. A laptop computer, which Roberts brought with him to the encounter, was seized at the time of his arrest and later found to contain child pornography.

Roberts was sentenced on May 16 by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen to 10 years in prison, which will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Morris.

“It is fortunate that Roberts’s predatory efforts connected him to an undercover agent and not an innocent child,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The lengthy prison sentence he received reflects the seriousness of his crimes and the threat he posed to the community.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. You can learn more about Project Safe Childhood by visiting the initiative's website.

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