PEORIA, Ill. – A Pekin man is heading to federal prison for a decade after a plot to target a local child.
42-year-old Mark Steven Peterson was sentenced to ten years behind bars for attempted enticement of a minor.
Peterson wasn’t just talking online; he was caught after driving to Peoria, where he planned to meet up with a ten-year-old girl. He thought he was messaging the child’s stepfather, but was actually walking into a trap set by the FBI.
Peterson has been in federal custody since August of last year, after he violated the conditions of his release. Now, he’ll serve his full ten-year sentence, and when he gets out, he’ll have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
It’s a stark reminder of the dangers lurking online and a major win for the federal task force involved in this case, known as Project Safe Childhood—a program dedicated to hunting down predators who try to exploit kids on the internet.
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