Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Arranging to have sex with a Minor

ATLANTA - John Katz has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for communicating with a minor on the Internet for the purpose of engaging in illegal sexual activity with her. Katz drove more than 30 miles to meet the minor and was arrested when he showed up at a pre-arranged site to meet her for sex.

“This case shines a light on some of the darkest corners of the Internet, where predators troll for the opportunity to victimize children,” said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “This was not Katz’s first attempt to reach out from the Internet to actually have sexual contact with a minor. This case prevents him from further attempts to make the Internet a dangerous place for children.”

“Identifying and stopping the sexual abuse of underage victims is one of this agency’s highest investigative priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Nick Annan. “Underage children cannot consent to sexual activity -- period. This sentencing clearly illustrates that anyone who seeks out sex with an underage person can and will face serious criminal charges and an extensive period of time behind bars.”

“This conviction illustrates the great work of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute crimes against children. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse cases,” said Vernon Keenan, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: In February 2014, Katz posted an ad on Craigslist that was titled “Daddy looking for teenage slut.” In the ad, Katz expressed his interest in finding a young girl to act out his sexual fantasies. An agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) posed as a 15-year-old girl and responded to his ad. She wrote that she was “too young” for him but just wanted “to say hey!” Katz continued communicating with the girl and was graphic in his descriptions of the sex acts that he wanted to have with her.

At the same time, Katz was also communicating over the Internet with a 14-year-old girl and was trying to make arrangements to meet with her for the purpose of having sex with her. This 14-year-old girl in reality was another GBI agent acting in an undercover capacity.

On February 28, 2014, Katz drove from his home in Fayetteville to Lithonia, Georgia, to meet the 15-year-old girl. He was arrested when he showed up at a pre-arranged site. Additionally, he had condoms and a number of sex toys with him. After his arrest, he admitted that several years earlier he had actually had sex with a 15-year-old girl when he lived in Ohio and that he knew her age at the time they met.

John Katz, 32, of Fayetteville, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release. Katz was convicted of these charges on November 3, 2016, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul R. Jones prosecuted the case.

This case is being 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.