Former Seattle psychologist sentenced to more than 6 years for seeking sex with 12-year-old
After posting ad on Craigslist, defendant communicated about sex with child
SEATTLE - A Seattle psychologist was sentenced Friday in federal court to 78 months in prison and five years of supervised release for attempting to travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct and attempted receipt of child pornography.
Jonathan Brent Wulf, 62, of Seattle, posted an ad on Craigslist beginning a conversation with what turned out to be an undercover agent working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Through various communications by phone and the internet, Wulf said he wanted to have sex with the agent’s fictional 12-year-old stepdaughter. Wulf was arrested in September 2015 when he arrived at the hotel selected as the meeting place for the sexual encounter. At Friday’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones noted Wulf’s career as a clinical psychologist saying “You’ve been able to see the kind of damage this activity can cause.”
“Predators use social media and the internet to prey on children,” said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “Even where there is careful oversight by parents, children are vulnerable to sexual predators through their online activities. This defendant, a child psychologist, thought he could hide in the shadow of the internet. He was wrong. Law enforcement and a prison sentence are what awaited him instead.”
According to records filed in the case, over a two-week period in September 2015, Wulf repeatedly communicated with the undercover agent about wanting to have sex with the agent’s fictional 12-year-old stepdaughter. Wulf repeatedly suggested that all text messages or other internet communications regarding his interest in underage sex should be deleted. Wulf also repeatedly acknowledged that pursuing sex with a minor was illegal. Wulf was a trained psychologist who specialized in children and adolescents. The Washington State Department of Health has suspended Wulf’s license.
“We entrust teachers and counselors to serve as role models for our children and safeguard their welfare,” said Steve Cagen, acting special agent in charge for HSI Seattle. “This sentence should serve as a stern warning to anyone who mistakenly believes cyberspace affords them anonymity and they can use the internet to sexually exploit children with impunity. HSI will use all of its law enforcement authorities to combat this heinous behavior -- we owe it to the children who are the victims in these cases, many of whom will bear the emotional scars of this trauma for the rest of their lives.”
The charges in this case are a product of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators.
Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
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.
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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