Nunda Man Charged in Enticement Case

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Timothy Wallace, 30, of Nunda, New York, was charged by criminal complaint with enticement of a minor. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on July 11, 2011, a 13-year-old minor reported that a person, who identified himself as a 25-year-old named “Tim,” texted her sexually explicit communications and attempted to meet her in the village of Nunda. The complaint further alleges that the defendant apparently learned of the minor’s phone number through the girl’s posting for babysitting services.

United States Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr., stated, “This case serves as yet another important reminder that parents and children have to be extremely careful with the sort of information they post online and in public locations. Wholly apart from this case, where the defendant has merely been charged with a crime and is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty—it is critical that parents and children realize that what sometimes begins as perfectly innocent or admirable behavior—such as a child looking for her first babysitting job—can instead lead to being targeted by a potential predator.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the special agents from Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Task Force, under the direction of Christopher M. Piehota, Special Agent in Charge, the New York State Police, Troop “E” under the command of Major Mark Koss, and the Livingston County District Attorney’s Office under the direction of Thomas E. Moran.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.