Metamora Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor

PEORIA, Ill. – A Metamora, Illinois man, Dana Anthony Curtin, 50, of the 1100 block of Willow Lake Drive, was sentenced on November 29, 2023, to 180 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor. Curtin must also register as a sex offender.

At the trial before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the United States presented evidence to establish that from March through May 2022, Curtin spoke with an individual he believed to be an adult offering sex with a minor, then traveled to meet the adult and child. Federal law enforcement agents arrested him when he arrived at the meeting location.

Curtin was arrested on May 20, 2022, and was indicted on June 7, 2022. A federal jury found him guilty on June 15, 2023, following trial. Curtin was initially released on bond and has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since June 2023.

The statutory penalties for attempted sex trafficking of a minor are15 years to life imprisonment, to be followed by five years to life of supervised release, and a possible fine of up to $250,000.

The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald L. Hanna and Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the United States.

The case against Curtin was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.