Federal prosecutors say an Antelope man who thought he was showing up to meet a 10‑year‑old child will instead be spending a decade in federal prison.
Mark Sigl, 63, was sentenced today to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. The case grew out of a March 2024 undercover operation in which Sigl communicated with someone he believed was the father of a 10‑year‑old and agreed to meet at a prearranged location, according to authorities.
Sentence Follows Undercover Meeting Attempt
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced that Sigl received a 10‑year federal term. As reported by the Mountain Democrat, Sigl was arrested when he arrived at the arranged meeting spot, where investigators say they recovered several sex‑related items from his vehicle.
Plea, Evidence, And Investigation
According to a July 1, 2025, press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Sigl admitted to attempted coercion and enticement after court records showed he had communicated in March 2024 with an undercover officer posing as the parent of a 10‑year‑old. In those messages, he expressed an intent to perform sexual acts, prosecutors said.
The release states Sigl was taken into custody when he showed up at the meeting location and that investigators found several sex‑related items in his car. The case was investigated by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the Sacramento Valley High‑Tech Crimes Taskforce, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zulkar Khan.
Stiff Federal Penalties And Wider Context
Federal filings and earlier public statements note that the charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a potential maximum of life, along with fines that can reach $250,000, as previously reported by Federal Newswire.
Prosecutors brought the case under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative that coordinates federal, state and local efforts to pursue online child‑exploitation cases and to identify and rescue victims.
