Arizona man indicted for attempting to lure a minor who turned out to be an undercover agent: DOJ
PHOENIX - Federal justice officials in California say a grand jury has indicted a West Valley man for allegedly trying to lure a minor online.
In a statement released on Sept. 13, prosecutors said 42-year-old Anthony Dalton Wolff of Surprise was indicted on a count of distribution of a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and a count of attempted coercion and enticement.
"Between March 16, 2023, and July 30, 2024, Wolff met and then communicated with an undercover federal agent on a forum on the dark web dedicated to discussion of child sexual abuse. The undercover agent had established a profile for a mother with a seven-year-old daughter," read a portion of the statement. "Wolff contacted the agent and immediately stated that he had a long-standing sexual interest in girls, and he hoped to have a sexual relationship with the agent and her purported daughter."
Officials said Wolff later moved communications to Telegram, which they described as a "fully encrypted application that does not cooperate with law enforcement," and "frequently sent videos of himself while viewing and commenting on some of his favorite child exploitation videos."
"He planned to meet the agent and her daughter in California and described in graphic detail how he wanted to sexually abuse the girl and to have another child with the mother so he could sexually abuse that child," read a portion of the statement.
Per the statement, federal agents served a search warrant at Wolff's home on Aug. 28, where the devices allegedly used in connection with the incident were seized.
"A federal magistrate judge in Phoenix, Arizona, ordered Wolff detained as a danger to the community, and he will appear before a magistrate judge in Fresno as soon as he arrives in the Eastern District of California," prosecutors wrote.
If convicted on the distribution charge, prosecutors say Wolff faces five to 20 years in prison, with a fine of up to $250,000. As for the attempted coercion charge, Wolff faces 10 years to life in prison if he is convicted, as well as a fine of up to $250,000.
"Law enforcement believes there may be additional victims in this case and urges anyone with information to come forward by calling the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC) website," prosecutors wrote.