VT Man Pleads Guilty To Online Child Enticement Charge

CONCORD, NH — A Vermont man who attempted to set up a sexual encounter with a girl in New Hampshire – who was actually a police officer – has pleaded to three counts in U.S. District Court today. Joseph Norko, 50, of St. Johnsbury, VT, pleaded guilty on Feb. 22, 2018, to two counts of attempted online enticement and one count of interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity. Norko’s charges, according to the court, were based on two online undercover investigations.

Both the Portsmouth and Lebanon Police Departments conducted online investigations that led to the investigation, arrest, and plea. In July 2017, the defendant responded to an online ad posted by a Portsmouth police officer purporting to offer sex with a 12-year-old girl. In September 2017, he responded to another online ad posted by a Lebanon police officer purporting to be a 15-year-old girl. The defendant then traveled from Vermont to New Hampshire in order to engage in sexual contact with the person he thought was 15.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the children of the Granite State,” said acting-U.S. Attorney Farley. “This case is yet another example of the dangers that lurk on the Internet. I am grateful to the law enforcement officers whose work led to the conviction of this Internet predator.”

Michael Shea, the acting-Special Agent in Charge, for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, added, “Online exploitation of children is one of the most disturbing crimes we investigate. It’s always very satisfying when our close coordination with our federal and state partners successfully brings the predators who engage in this behavior to justice.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Lebanon and Portsmouth Police Departments, and the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes members of several other police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgiana Konesky.

Norko will be sentenced in June.

Image via police file photo.