Pennsylvania Man Arrested for Attempted Enticement and Coercion of a Minor

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Peter N. Allen, age 32, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, appeared today on a criminal complaint charging him with attempted enticement and coercion of a minor into a sexual act, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The complaint charges that Allen attempted to entice and coerce a person he believed to be an 11-year-old girl to engage in sexual acts with him.  In fact, the girl was portrayed by an undercover police officer, and Allen was arrested in Broome County after he drove there from Pennsylvania, expecting to meet the purported child at her home. 

The charge filed against Allen carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of at least 5 years, and up to life. If convicted, Allen will also be required to register as a sex offender.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty

Allen appeared today in Binghamton, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric and was ordered detained pending further proceedings.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sahar L. Amandolare.