Wichita Falls native and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's Cyber Crimes Unit arrested a 50-year old man for using the Internet to sexually solicit a minor, according to the AG's office today. At the time of is arrest William Johnson told officers he is a federal agent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Officers of the Cyber Crimes Unit said today that Johnson posted an explicit online advertisement and received a response from a person he believed was a 15-year old girl. Johnson then sexually propositioned her and set up a personal encounter so he could commit sexual assault at a pre-arranged location.
The "girl" was an undercover police officer with the Cyber Crimes Unit. When Johnson arrived at the location he was surprised to encounter officers of the Cyber Crimes Unit who arrested him.
If convicted, Johnson could have his residence inside the Texas prison system for anywhere from two to ten years. He's facing a second degree felony charge for online solicitation of a minor.
He was escorted to the Williamson County jail with a $20,000 bond set.
Johnson formerly worked at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
One in seven children in America will be victims of attempted cyber crimes in the next year, according to a report cited by Abbott.
Cyber crimes against children has become a serious national problem which Abbott addressed in 2003 by starting the Cyber Crimes Unit in his office. The Cyber Crimes Fugitive Unit has apprehended 2300 alleged offenders since then.
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