United States Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña
Northern District of Texas

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2011
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

MCKINNEY, TEXAS, MAN ADMITS ENTICING CHILD
TO ENGAGE IN DEVIATE SEXUAL RELATIONS

Defendant Had Condoms, Cash and Diapers in Vehicle When Arrested

FORT WORTH, Texas — Johnathon D. Caudill, 24, of McKinney, Texas, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge John McBryde to one count of enticing a child to engage in sexual activity, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is set for March 2, 2012, before Judge McBryde.

According to documents filed in the case, an officer with the Fort Worth Police Department, working undercover, posted an advertisement on the Dallas Craigslist/Personals/
miscellaneous romance page advertising his girlfriend’s two minor daughters. Within 20 minutes of posting the ad, Caudill contacted the officer by emailing a sexually explicit photograph of himself to the officer. The officer informed Caudill that the girls were ages 11 and 13 and sent images of two minor female girls to Caudill. Caudill then asked if the girls would engage in sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse, to which the officer responded that they would. Caudill informed the undercover officer that he would use a condom and wanted the girls to wear diapers during the sessions of sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse.

A meeting was arranged and Caudill arrived at the meeting place in north Fort Worth as planned. When he did not receive a timely response from the officer to a text message, Caudill left the parking lot and was arrested shortly thereafter. Condoms, diapers and a $100 bill were located inside his vehicle.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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

The Fort Worth Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are investigating. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis is in charge of the prosecution.

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