BOISE – Joshua James Stueckle, 29, of Caldwell, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Boise for failing to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to the plea agreement, Stueckle is required to register as a sex offender due to a prior conviction for sexual abuse in the first degree, in Deschutes County, Oregon. Court records show that Stueckle last registered on January 12, 2011, in Bend, Oregon. According to the plea agreement, a 16-year-old girl living in Caldwell, Idaho, told investigators that she met Stueckle online, and on July 5, 2011, he came from out of state to see her. According to the girl's mother, Stueckle began living with her daughter on July 5 at their home, but later moved into an apartment on the property. Stueckle signed a lease on July 27, but moved out on October 5, 2011. On October 11, a Caldwell Police detective investigating an alleged sex crime involving Stueckle, located him at the Haunted World in Canyon County, Idaho. Stueckle told the detective that he was homeless and had been staying in a variety of residences and a local park. A check with the Idaho State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification found no record of Stueckle registering as a sex offender. According to the plea agreement, Stueckle's registration status in Oregon was listed as non-compliant, because he failed to update his address and notify authorities that he had moved out of state. Stueckle is currently serving a sentence at a Idaho Department of Correction facility.

The charge is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and not less than five years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for August 30, 2012, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which was passed by Congress in 2006, requires sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction where they reside, are employed or are students. Violations of SORNA can be prosecuted in federal court.