A Portland man faces serious charges after federal authorities alleged he traveled to Seattle with the intent to commit sexual abuse against minors. According to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman, 56-year-old Marc David McCool was indicted by a grand jury on counts of attempted enticement of a minor and travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.
McCool was apprehended on May 16, when he arrived at a hotel near Seattle, allegedly with the objective of abusing two fictional children, ages 7 and 11, this was after engaging in an extended conversation over more than six weeks with an undercover law enforcement agent who posed as the guardian of the children on the Kik Messenger App, during these conversations, he reportedly expressed a predacious sexual interest in children and bragged about past incidents of abuse and his collection of "trophies" from such activities. McCool is currently held at FDC SeaTac, ahead of his arraignment scheduled for next week.
The sting operation leading to McCool's arrest involved detailed exchanges in which he described the depraved acts he intended to carry out and his prior offenses. Upon arrest, authorities found items including condoms, baby oil, rope, and stuffed animals—items reflective of his sexual intent with children. The case is part of an investigation undertaken by the Seattle Police Department Internet Crimes against Children Task Force (ICAC), a component of Homeland Security Investigation.
If convicted of these charges, McCool could face serious prison time; attempted enticament of a minor carries a minimum of a 10-year sentence, while traveling with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor can result in up to 30 years of incarceration, all presupposing the legal process upholds these allegations—in keeping with the American judicial tradition, a charged individual remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson is responsible for the prosecution of this case.
