Missouri man sentenced to 10 years for attempting to entice a minor for sex

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A southwestern Missouri man was sentenced in federal court Friday to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor for illicit sexual activity.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Jasper County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Department.

Erik Leroy Clark, 35, of Joplin, Missouri, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 26, 2014, Clark pleaded guilty to the attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Clark believed he was meeting a 10-year-old girl at a Joplin park for an illicit sexual encounter, which in reality was part of an undercover law enforcement investigation.

A Jasper County Sheriff’s Department detective assumed an undercover identity, and on July 14, 2014 it posted an ad on an online social networking site. The ad was titled "Looking for someone into incest/taboo things –w4m-40." The ad included a narrative, which read:

"Looking for someone who is practicing incest or is interested in incest. Mother daughter. No spammers put incest in subject line so I know you are serious. Disease free."

Clark responded to the ad July 20. The undercover detective told Clark that the ad was for someone to teach her 10-year-old daughter about sex. Very quickly, Clark started suggesting a meeting and said he was willing to help, but that the 10-year old girl’s mother needed to be present.

In subsequent emails, Clark offered to engage in various sexual activities with the 10-year-old girl and suggested meetings on several occasions. The undercover detective repeatedly told Clark no to each meeting request, but finally agreed to meet Clark at a park located in Joplin.

On Aug. 6, law enforcement officers identified Clark as he drove through the park, using a photo he had emailed to the undercover detective. Officers stopped Clark and arrested him. Upon initial contact, Clark immediately stated, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew I was going to get in trouble." Officers searched his car and found a "Hello Kitty" ball, Durex tropical-flavored condoms and a bottle of Equate warming liquid personal lubricant.

Clark admitted to searching for incest pornography on the Internet on a regular basis, and that he had a curiosity that scared him because he could not control it.

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 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

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. 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.

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.