Connecticut man sentenced to 10 years in child enticement sting
BOSTON - A Connecticut man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for using the Internet in an attempt to entice or coerce a minor to engage in sex. The sentencing serves as the culmination of a detailed investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of HSI New Haven, Customs and Border Protection, New York Air Unit, Watertown Police Department, Massachusetts State Police.
Paul R. Hinkel, 57, of Chester, Conn., was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boston for traveling to Watertown in response to an advertisement on Craigslist in which a woman sought an adult man who might be interested in a sexual relationship with her child. The Craigslist ad was placed by undercover HSI special agents seeking to detect online predators.
In February 2014, the undercover special agent placed an advertisement on Craigslist posing as a mother seeking an adult male interested in a sexual relationship with her daughter. Hinkel responded to the advertisement and was not deterred when he was told that the daughter was only 15-years-old. Hinkel proceeded to engage in hundreds of emails with the undercover agents, detailing the sexual activities in which he would engage with the teen. On March 19, 2014, Hinkel traveled from his home in Chester, Conn. to Watertown to meet and have sex with the fictional minor daughter. He carried a bag to the door with him, which contained sexual paraphernalia, men’s cologne, and a stuffed animal. Hinkel was arrested by HSI special agents upon his arrival at the site in Watertown.
“Predators who target innocent children for their own despicable gratification must know that we in law enforcement will not rest until they are brought to justice,” said Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge of HSI Boston. “Words cannot describe the irreparable harm these crimes could have inflicted. HSI, along with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue identifying and arresting those who would even attempt to victimize the young and defenseless in such a deplorable way.”
Hinkel was convicted by a federal jury following a three-day trial in February 2015, and sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 10 years in prison.
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 10,000 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.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
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