Auston McLain of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced to ten years in prison for attempting to entice a minor and traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois reported that Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah Darrow handed down the sentence, which also includes a subsequent ten-year term of supervised release.
In court, evidence showed McLain engaged in communications with an individual he believed to be a minor from November 10 to November 14, 2020. During this time frame he sent sexually explicit images and requested the same in return. He then crossed state lines from Iowa to Illinois, intending to engage in prohibited activities. Judge Darrow highlighted that McLain further obstructed justice, lying on important issues during his trial.
McLain could have faced a life sentence, but he received the minimum ten-year sentence for the enticement charge. The travel charge alone could have resulted in up to thirty years imprisonment. Additionally, he must register as a sex offender, permanently tarnishing his record with the consequences of his actions.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tanner Jacobs and Matthew Weir led the prosecution, working alongside the FBI's Springfield Field Office and several local police departments, including Rock Island and Macomb Police Departments. Together, these agencies played crucial roles in McLain's apprehension and conviction as part of their ongoing efforts to combat sexual exploitation of minors.
This case falls under "Project Safe Childhood," the Department of Justice's initiative to fight child sexual exploitation and abuse. This program spearheads coordination among U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) to prosecute offenders and aid victims. For more information on this initiative, one can visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
