Nebraska Man Who Traveled to Utah to Attempt to Have Sex with a Minor Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Dusty Junior Goodspeed, 58, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today to 180 months’ imprisonment by a U.S. District Court Judge as a result of a guilty plea. Goodspeed admitted he traveled to Salt Lake City to attempt to engage in sexual activity with someone he believed was a minor. He was charged with attempted coercion and enticement, and travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. 

According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Goodspeed, traveled from Nebraska to Salt Lake City International Airport in December 2022 to engage in sex acts with someone he believed was a 13-year-old boy. Goodspeed had been communicating with an undercover agent, who posed as a 13-year-old boy, and was arrested by law enforcement at baggage claim. Goodspeed admitted that in September 2022, he used Facebook Messenger to contact someone he believed was a 13-year-old. That same month, he began texting the undercover agent who was posing as a minor, messages that were sexual in nature. Goodspeed continued to communicate with the undercover agent until he landed at the airport in Salt Lake City. Goodspeed admitted to law enforcement he intended to spend the weekend with a 13-year-old and have sex with him. In addition to his sentence of imprisonment, Goodspeed was ordered to supervised release for life. 

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah; and the FBI made the announcement. 

The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Division.  

Assistant United States Attorneys Allison H. Behrens, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.