Westchester Registered Sex Offender SentencedTo 19 And ½ Years In Prison For Attempting To EnticeA Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ROBERT OKAMURA, 46, was sentenced to 19 years and 7 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Edgardo Ramos for his attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Judge RAMOS also imposed a 10-year term of supervised release to follow the imprisonment.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in related court proceedings:

On November 27, 2011, OKAMURA, a registered sex offender on supervised release from an offense involving the repeated sexual abuse of a child, responded to an online advertisement placed by law enforcement and designed to appeal to pedophiles. At the time he was living in a shelter in Valhalla, Westchester County. Following a series of chats with an undercover agent posing as a pedophile, the undercover agent “introduced” OKAMURA to “Allison,” who purported to be a 15-year old girl but was, in fact, the same undercover agent. Following a series of explicit chats in which OKAMURA described the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the girl, OKAMURA made a plan to meet the girl at a hotel so that he could engage in sexual activities with her. On December 14, 2011, OKAMURA went to the hotel to meet the girl and was arrested.

OKAMURA pleaded guilty on July 18, 2013. At his guilty plea proceeding, OKAMURA admitted that he communicated via the internet with a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl and persuaded her to meet him for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.

In imposing the sentence, Judge RAMOS underscored the seriousness of the offense. Judge RAMOS stated, “This shocking and flagrant course of conduct speaks to either a basic lack of respect for authority or an uncontrollable compulsion or both.”

Mr. Bharara praised the efforts and assistance of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (“ICE”) Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”).

This case is being handled by the White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorney Marcia S. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.