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Press Release

Louisville Man Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Sex Trafficking of Children and Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Kentucky

Louisville, KY – A Louisville man was sentenced yesterday to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for attempted sex trafficking of children and attempted online enticement of a minor.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, Special Agent in Charge Robert Holman of the United States Secret Service, and Chief Richard Sanders of the Jeffersontown Police Department made the announcement.

According to court documents, Justin Nelson Aubrey, 26, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in prison, followed by a life term of supervised release, for one count of attempted sex trafficking of children and one count of attempted online enticement of a minor. Aubrey used a cellular telephone to access online applications via the internet to communicate with two individuals, then cooperating with law enforcement, to negotiate to pay for sex with children. Aubrey subsequently showed up, with money, to meet one of the children before being apprehended by law enforcement.

There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was the result of a joint federal, state, and local operation called Operation Angel, aimed at making federal arrests of individuals who preyed upon children. The United States Secret Service, the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, and the Jeffersontown Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie M. Zimdahl and Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

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Updated April 12, 2024