Michigan Man Pleads Guilty To Using The Internet To Attempt To Entice A Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

Jacksonville, Florida – Arthur Jay Traxler, Jr. (55, Monroe, MI) today pleaded guilty to attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Traxler faces a minimum mandatory term of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison.  Traxler has been detained since his initial arrest in Michigan on November 9, 2020. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, between July 21 and August 4, 2020, Traxler engaged in a series of online conversations with a person whom he believed to be a 14-year-old child. Unbeknownst to Traxler, this “child” was an undercover FBI agent. During the course of the online conversations, Traxler discussed, in detail, his desire to have the “child” send him images of the “child” engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

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