Omaha Man Convicted of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Wesley T. Vavra, 51, of Omaha, Nebraska, was found guilty on August 23, 2023, by a jury in federal court in Omaha. Vavra was convicted of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Sentencing is set for November 21, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. before Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. Vavra faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Between May 2022 and July 16, 2022, Vavra communicated on the Whisper application and through text messages with someone Vavra thought was interested in “open family play dates”. The other Whisper user was a law enforcement officer working in an undercover (“UC”) capacity pretending to be a father with an 8-year-old child. Vavra arranged to meet the UC on July 18, 2022, to engage in sexual acts with the supposed father’s 8-year-old child. Vavra was arrested upon arrival at the meetup location in Omaha. Vavra’s cell phone was seized. Analysis of Vavra’s phone showed that in addition to communicating with the UC, Vavra was also communicating with someone he thought was a 13-year-old female during this same timeframe. The 13-year-old female was also a law enforcement officer working in an undercover capacity.

This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.