North Texas man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for enticing children to engage in deviate sexual relations

FORT WORTH, Texas — A north Texas man was sentenced on Friday to serve 15 years in federal prison following his November guilty plea to one count of enticing children to engage in sexual activity. This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Fort Worth Police Department.

In addition, U.S. District Judge John McBryde ordered that Johnathon D. Caudill, 24, of McKinney, Texas, register as a sex offender and serve a lifetime of supervised release.

According to documents filed in the case, a Fort Worth Police Department officer, working undercover, posted an advertisement on the Dallas Craigslist/Personals/ miscellaneous romance page advertising his girlfriend's two minor daughters. Within 20 minutes of posting the ad, Caudill contacted the officer by emailing a sexually explicit photograph of himself to the officer. The officer informed Caudill that the girls were 11 and 13 years old, and sent images of two minor female girls to Caudill. Caudill then asked if the girls would engage in sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse, to which the officer responded that they would. Caudill informed the undercover officer that he would use a condom, and he wanted the girls to wear diapers during the sex and deviate-sex sessions.

Caudill arrived at the north Fort Worth meeting place as agreed. When he did not receive a timely response from the officer to a text message, Caudill left the parking lot and was arrested shortly afterwards. Condoms, diapers and a $100 bill were located inside his vehicle.

Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis was in charge of the prosecution.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.