Bristow Man Found Guilty of Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

A federal jury convicted a Bristow man Tuesday of coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.

Arthur James Mann, 34, was found guilty of communicating with an individual he believed to be 13 years of age but who was an undercover officer. From July 29 to Aug. 17, 2018, Mann communicated with the “girl” on Facebook, telling her that his name was Andrew Mason and he was 16 years old. Mann initiated multiple sexual conversations with the girl and requested nude photos. Mann further suggested the two meet in order to have sex on Aug. 17, 2018. Mann arrived that night in his pajamas and slippers to meet the 13-year-old girl. Instead, he was met by officers from the Bristow Police Department and taken into custody.

“The jury has spoken, and Arthur Mann is guilty as charged of attempting to coerce and entice a minor via Facebook. Parents must be aware that sex predators like Mann use social media to find, groom, and entice their prey. In this case, we were lucky the defendant was talking to an undercover law enforcement officer and not a 13-year-old child. Key evidence in this trial included a cell phone and communications on Facebook. The ever-present threat of online child predators underscores the importance of lawful access by law enforcement to various tech devices and social media platforms,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. 

“I hope the public understands that law enforcement gains “lawful access” to cell phones and social media accounts through warrants and wiretaps approved by impartial judges,” Shores continued. “‘Warrant proof encryption’ or ‘end-to-end encryption’ touted by some social media platforms actually facilitates and protects the criminal acts of pedophiles and others online. Bottom line, when technology prevents law enforcement officials from having lawful access, it puts our children and communities at risk. Thankfully, law enforcement officials in this case were able to search Mr. Mann’s cell phone to obtain critical evidence.”

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell set sentencing for March 2020. At that time, Mann faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, supervised release of not less than five years up to life, and a fine not to exceed $250,000.

The Bristow Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Snow and Scott Proctor are prosecuting the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative. PSC combats the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse and was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s 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.