A Canadian County man, 48-year-old Ronnie Allen Barton, has been convicted on multiple charges, including attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender, and attempted receipt of child pornography, as announced by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Barton's conviction followed an indictment by a federal grand jury on February 20,, and came as the culmination of a sting operation conducted by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office.
Details from the trial reveal a lurid plot where Barton engaged with an undercover FBI agent in response to an online advertisement, which offered a meeting with contrived underage girls for explicit acts. Along the protracted exchange, Barton, who at the time was a registered sex offender due to a prior conviction, made requests for pornographic images of the children. The agent set the stage for a motel meeting in Oklahoma City, where Barton intended to perform sexual acts with the fictitious minors. "Barton was arrested outside of the motel on January 24, 2025, when he showed up at the appointed time and place for the meeting," as described in the DOJ's statement.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative by the DOJ to confront and curb child sexual exploitation and abuse. Barton's case comprises a part of this broader initiative. The investigation utilized cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies to locate and apprehend individuals who exploit children through the Internet and to aid the victims of such crimes. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Joynes and Brandon Hale led the prosecution for Barton's case, with his sentencing set for a future date. Barton is confronted with a minimum of 20 years to a possible life sentence in federal prison, and may also be fined up to $250,000.
Public records indicate a history of sexual offenses for Barton, with a previous felony conviction in 2018 for lewd acts or indecent proposal to a minor. As noted in the U.S. Attorney's Office press release, Barton's efforts to arrange a sexual encounter with minors "faces no less than 20 years and up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000" at his upcoming sentencing.
