Jefferson City Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Enticing a Minor for Sex

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for enticing a minor to engage in illicit sex.

Andrew C. Clayton, 38, of Jefferson City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 24 years and four months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Clayton to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.

Clayton, a computer information technician employed by the state of Missouri at the time of the offense, sought out sexual relationships with juvenile males, some as young as 14. Clayton, who pleaded guilty on Nov. 21, 2016, admitted that he used the KIK instant messaging app on his cell phone to attempt to persuade a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Clayton used KIK to contact a minor, identified as John Doe #2, on March 19 and 20, 2015. Clayton offered John Doe #2 cigarettes and other items if he would re-connect him with another minor, identified as John Doe #1, with whom Clayton had previously engaged in sexual relations. Clayton wanted to have sexual relations with John Doe #1 (which would constitute a criminal offense). Instead, John Doe #2 contacted the Cole County Sheriff’s Department. Officers executed a search warrant at Clayton’s residence on March 27, 2015. In an interview with officers, Clayton admitted to having sex with several boys.

According to court documents, Clayton also propositioned John Doe #2 while trying to persuade him to contact John Doe #1 on his behalf, and also propositioned another juvenile, identified as John Doe #3.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Cole County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was 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.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."