Washington state man sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted enticement of a minor
SPOKANE, Wash. – A registered sex offender from Kennewick was sentenced in federal court Monday to 10 years in prison, followed by 25 years of court supervision, for attempted enticement of a minor, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) task force.
According to court documents, Thomas E. Lafontaine, 35, responded to a personal ad placed by an HSI special agent in late 2014, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. During a series of online communications with the investigator, Lafontaine graphically described various sexual acts he wanted to perform on the child, and eventually discussed meeting her at a specific location for sex.
At the proposed meet time, Lafontaine drove to the agreed upon location and was observed circling the area for about 30 minutes. Lafontaine later contacted the HSI special agent, whom he believed to be the child, and chastised her for standing him up. Lafontaine was arrested a short time later. A subsequent search of his electronic devices revealed he had had discussions with at least three other minors regarding sexual acts he wanted to perform on them.
At Monday’s sentencing, Senior District Judge Edward F. Shea said Lafontaine posed a “genuine threat to the public,” noting that Lafontaine went beyond the online discussions and actually got in his car and drove to meet a child for sex. Lafontaine said he was “disgusted and ashamed” of his actions
“The sentence handed down provides fair and just punishment for this offense, particularly given Lafontaine’s past conduct,” said the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington Michael C. Ormsby. “This investigation is yet another demonstration of the dedication of law enforcement officers and their willingness to ferret out those who intend to victimize children.”
“This joint federal, state and local investigation illustrates the lengths to which law enforcement will go to bring a child predator to justice,” said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “Now, with this federal sentence, the public can rest assured Lafontaine will spend a decade behind bars, followed by close federal monitoring for many more years to come.”
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 2,300 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. 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.
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