Arizona Man Sentenced for Transporting Minor for Sex

United States Attorney Deborah Gilg and the Federal Bureau of Investigation announce the following information for the attention of the media:

Event Triggering this Release:

Robert Olney, 30, was sentenced for transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The Honorable Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Olney to a 10-year term of imprisonment. After his release from prison, Olney will be on supervised release for five years and must register as a sex offender.

Olney resided in Robertsdale, Arizona. He met a 15-year-old girl, who was living in Ainsworth, Nebraska, through an interactive video game. They frequently spoke online. Olney mailed a cellular telephone to the teen so they could continue to speak without being detected by her mother. Plans were made for Olney to come to Nebraska to remove the minor from her home and bring her back to Alabama.

Olney left Alabama on July 13, 2010, and drove to Ainsworth. When he was near the teen’s house, he called the teen and arranged to meet her. They left Nebraska together. While en route to Alabama Olney was notified by his brother that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking for him and the girl. Olney turned himself into the Little Rock Police Department.

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.

Name of Defendant: Robert Olney
AKA:
Age: 30
City of Residence: Robertsdale, Arizona
Crime(s) Charged and Potential Penalty (A CHARGE is merely an accusation and every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty): Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, 10-life, $250,000 fine, five years to life of supervised release and $100 special assessment
Specific Location of Alleged Crime: Ainsworth, Nebraska
Location of Arrest: Little Rock, Arkansas
Alleged Dollar Loss/Type and Quantity of Drug:
Others Charged in Same Scheme:
Relevant Dates:

Date of Alleged Crime: Beginning on or about the 14th day of July, 2010
Federal Arrest Date: July 15, 2010
Date Complaint Issued: July 16, 2010
Indictment Returned Date: July 20, 2010
Initial Appearance Date: September 20, 2010
Plea or Trial and Date(s): Plea guilty on November 22, 2010
Sentencing Date: February 14, 2011
Next Court Hearing Type and Date: N/A

Assigned Magistrate Judge: F.A. Gossett III
Held without Bond, or Released from Custody: Held without Bond
In Continuous Custody Since: July 15, 2010
Assigned District Court Judge: Laurie Smith Camp
Initials of Assigned AUSA/Preparer of this Release: MPN