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Press Release

Pennsylvania Man Charged with Attempting to Entice a Minor into Sexual Acts

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Eric S. Mann, age 32, of Howard, Pennsylvania, was ordered detained on Friday after being arrested on August 25 for attempting to coerce and entice a minor into sex. 

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Andrew W. Vale, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

The criminal complaint alleges that from May 10, 2016 through August 25, 2016, Mann used various forms of Internet-based communication to entice someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy to meet at a truck stop in Milesburg, Pennsylvania, for a sexual encounter.  A Colonie Police Department investigator was posing as the boy.  The charges in the complaint are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

Mann was arrested on August 25 in Milesburg and was ordered detained by a Middle District of Pennsylvania Magistrate Judge pending his appearance in Albany.  Mann appeared on Friday at a detention hearing in Albany before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, who ordered Mann detained pending further proceedings. 

If convicted, Mann faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and mandatory registration 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. 

This case is being investigated by the FBI and the Colonie Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss. 

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.

Updated September 6, 2016

Topic
Project Safe Childhood