Payson Man Sentenced to 135 Months in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

PEORIA, Ill. – A Payson, Illinois, man, Michael Kamphaus, 34, of the 400 block of Willow Street, was sentenced on November 10, 2022, to 135 months’ imprisonment for attempted enticement of a minor. Upon release from imprisonment, Kamphaus will serve a 10-year term of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government presented evidence that in March 2022 Kamphaus spoke with an individual he believed to be a father offering sex with his 12-year-old daughter in exchange for money. Kamphaus discussed the specifics of a potential encounter between with the daughter, including where it would happen, what would happen, how long it would last, and the monetary exchange for the encounter. Kamphaus stated multiple times he was interested in engaging in sex acts with the 12-year-old girl.  On March 11, 2022, Kamphaus traveled from Payson, Illinois, to Peoria, Illinois, to meet with the father and his daughter. Upon arrival in Peoria, he was arrested by federal law enforcement agents.

Kamphaus was indicted in March 2022 and entered a plea of guilty in July 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.

The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor are 10 years to life imprisonment, a possible fine of up to $250,000, and a five-year to life term of supervised release. The charge also carries a mandatory special assessment of $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, unless Kamphaus is ruled indigent.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution. 

The case against Kamphaus was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the 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.