EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — A Belleville man was convicted by a federal jury on Tuesday of two attempted sex crimes against a minor after trying meet with an FBI agent posing as a 15-year-old girl.
Gerald S. Sewell, 59, was found guilty in United States District Court of one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the southern District of Illinois.
Sewell was one of 14 people charged in June 2020 after an FBI-led operation in partnership with multiple federal and state agencies targeting online predators in the Metro East.
“As technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, internet safety is critical for healthy development in children of all ages,” U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said in the news release. “Fortunately, the FBI is working aggressively to remove online predators looking for children to abuse, and I’m grateful for their partnership.”
According to court documents, Sewell started an online conversation with an FBI agent posing as a 15-year-old girl. Using "sexually-explicit language," he made plans to meet with the girl for sex at a house in Collinsville. He was arrested when he arrived.
Sewell told law enforcement in an interview that he was living at a friend’s house in Missouri, therefore meaning he had crossed over state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity.
"There is an inherent risk to children anywhere the opportunity exists to communicate online. That’s why the FBI continues to be proactive in our efforts to protect them, casting a wide net over the various online applications and internet platforms where children are vulnerable," said the FBI Springfield Field Office's Acting Special Agent in Charge Shannon Fontenot. "Investigations like these demonstrate the outstanding work achieved in a collaborative environment with our law enforcement partners."
Sewell's sentencing is set for Sept. 20.
