Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Attempting to have Sex with a Child

          A 50-year old Seattle man with previous convictions for sex offenses against children, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 12 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release for attempted enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. TODD DARREN RICKDAL, was arrested following a Seattle Police Department sting operation in November 2016. RICKDAL communicated by email, text and telephone believing he was making arrangements to have sex with the undercover’s 5-year-old daughter. At sentencing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said he was “substantially concerned about protecting the public.”

          “A federal conviction – with its significant penalties and intensive supervision after release – is the right result in a case like this,” said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “I commend law enforcement for working proactively to identify those who try to use the internet to commit their crimes. There is no question that their work prevented the exploitation of real children and the impact such horrific crimes have over a lifetime.”

          According to records filed in the case, the Seattle Police Department initiated an investigation into people using the website Craigslist to seek sex with children. The undercover officer posted an ad in the ‘Casual Encounters’ section referencing “family fun.” RICKDAL responded to the ad and over the next few days made statements regarding his intent to meet the undercover to have sex with the undercover’s fictitious 5-year-old child. RICKDAL was arrested when he arrived at the hotel and had products in his possession that he had described to the undercover as aids to assist in the planned sexual abuse.

          RICKDAL is a registered sex offender and at the time of the current offense was still on community corrections supervision for a 2012 conviction for Attempted Child Molestation in the Second Degree and Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct. RICKDAL served 34 months in prison for that conviction.

          This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse that was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ 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.

          The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation (HSI). The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson. Ms. Gregson is a Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute child exploitation crimes in federal court.