Arkansas man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for traveling to Colorado to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children

DENVER — An Arkansas man was sentenced Tuesday to serve 15 years in federal prison for traveling from Arkansas to Colorado to have sex with children.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney John Walsh of the District of Colorado, and Special Agent in Charge David A. Thompson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Denver.

After serving his prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore also ordered Donnie Waldo Jr., 48, of Dover, Arkansas, to serve 10 years on supervised release. The defendant, who appeared at the hearing in custody, was remanded at its conclusion.

Waldo was charged by Criminal Complaint Nov. 10. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver Nov. 17. Waldo pleaded guilty to the charges March 20, 2015.

According to court documents, starting in October 2014, an undercover HSI special agent initiated an investigation targeting individuals using a specific website to sexually exploit children. The free website allows users to create profiles and post pornographic videos and pictures based on their sexual interests. The website included groups called “incest,” “jailbait” and “teen.” Members can post ads in the “classified” section seeking to meet members with the same sexual interests, such as incest and rape.

During the course of the investigation, the undercover special agent came across an ad on the website which stated: “I am a 47 year old man I am 6’3” tall weight 220 lbs at the present time I am married but me and my wife cant have children together I am interested in finding a woman to have an incest relationship with I want to start an incest family with a nice woman who is seeking the same thing I want a woman who is interested in me breeding her if this is you then lets talk” (sic).

On Oct. 2, 2014, an undercover HSI special agent working online in an undercover capacity in Greeley, Colorado, as a single mother with two young daughters responded to the ad. The undercover special agent in the single-mother persona and the target conducted numerous chats online. Mostly of the chats involved the prospect of Waldo having a sexual relationship with the undercover agent’s persona and her two daughters, ages 10 and 14. During one of the chats, the target allegedly stated that he wanted a “very open relationship … openly having sex with you (the single-mother persona) and both daughters.” He further discussed that he wanted to impregnate the single-mother’s persona and both daughters.

Further investigation revealed that the ad was posted by Arkansas resident Donnie Waldo. Waldo made arrangements with the single-mother persona to travel to Denver to meet and engage in sexual relations with the mother and her two daughters. On Nov. 10, 2014, Waldo boarded a flight from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Atlanta. In Atlanta, he boarded a flight to Denver where he was arrested by HSI special agents.

“Defendant’s chilling conduct – he travelled to Colorado with the hope and intention of sexually abusing two young children – earned him every minute of the 15-year sentence imposed by the Court,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.

This case was investigated by HSI. The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia L. Riewerts, District of Colorado.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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, PSC 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, please visit the Project Safe Childhood web page.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.