District of Montana

DANIEL DIETZ SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Helena, on September 23, 2008, before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell, DANIEL DIETZ, a 37-year-old resident of Helena, appeared for sentencing. DIETZ was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 196 months

• Special Assessment: $200

• Restitution: $3,524.01

• Forfeiture: computer equipment

• Supervised Release: 10 years

DIETZ was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to coercion and enticement and transfer of obscene material to minors.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

DIETZ was 36 years old when he met a thirteen-year-old girl at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Helena. DIETZ searched out the girl's My Space account and requested that he be placed on her friends list, which she did. DIETZ began e-mailing and chatting with the girl via computer and the Internet, making comments about how cute the girl was and how he wished he was 13 again, and how he could get in trouble for doing something with a 13-year-old girl. His conversations with her turned sexual and he sent her a picture of his erect penis, telling her to be sure to erase the picture and their chats off the computer so no one could see. He used a computer and cell phone to entice the girl into sexual activity, and they had sexual intercourse several times in Helena.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that DIETZ will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, DIETZ does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Helena Police Department, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.