Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 years in Prison

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Dane Bowler, 43, of Veyo, Utah, was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment today, and a lifetime of supervised release after he admitted to attempting to engage in sexual acts with a 13-year-old and was convicted of coercion and enticement.    

According to court documents and statements made at Bowler’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, between November 1, 2023 and November 6, 2023, Bowler communicated via cellphone and the internet with an individual he thought was a 13-year-old. Bowler was actually communicating with an undercover officer. During these communications, Bowler attempted to engage in sexual activity with the minor. Bowler had been previously convicted of this very same offense in federal court in 2007 and was sentence to 60 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release in that case.

Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case was investigated jointly by the State Bureau of Investigation and The FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorney Brady Wilson and Christopher Burton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

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