Federal jury convicts Illinois man of enticing a minor

URBANA, Ill. — A federal jury on Thursday convicted an Illinois man of attempting to entice a minor.

This guilty verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis, Central District of Illinois. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Decatur (Illinois) Police Department, in cooperation with the Macon County (Illinois) State's Attorney.

The jury deliberated for about a half-hour before returning a guilty verdict against Jeffrey Parkhurst, 59, of Springfield, Illinois, for attempting to entice a minor. Sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 1 before U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce, Central District of Illinois.

During the trial, which began Tuesday, the government presented evidence to establish that in July 2015 Parkhurst used the Internet and a cellular telephone to knowingly attempt to entice an individual he believed to be a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Parkhurst was arrested July 27 in Decatur and charged initially by state authorities. He has remained in custody since his arrest.  After the case was accepted for federal prosecution, he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service Sept. 18.

The statutory penalty for attempted enticement of a minor is a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison plus a fine of up to $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson, Central District of Illinois, is prosecuting this case.

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 14,000 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 2015, nearly 2,400 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.