Soda Springs man sentenced to federal prison for attempted coercion, enticement of a child
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POCATELLO — A 44-year-old Soda Springs man has been sentenced to federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a child.
On Feb. 2, Lawrence Osborn was sentenced to ten years in prison. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Osborn to be placed on supervised release for ten years following his prison sentence, a news release said.
Osborn pleaded guilty to the charge last year.
“My office is fortunate to work with law enforcement across the state who spare no effort in tracking down these criminals. And we will continue to prosecute these offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit said in a news release.
According to court records, on Feb. 24, 2023, agents with Homeland Security Investigations in Texas conducted an online undercover operation to identify adults engaged in sexually predatory behavior towards children.
During the operation, Osborn engaged in online chats with one of the undercover agents who was posing as a mother with a 7-year-old daughter. Osborn proposed that the mother travel from Texas to Idaho so that Osborn could sexually abuse the child, the news release said.
Osborn offered the mother money and travel accommodations to facilitate the sexual abuse of the 7-year-old.
On March 3, Osborn went to a grocery store in Soda Springs with the intention of meeting the mother and the 7-year-old, the news release said.
He was then arrested.
“Internet crime knows no border or boundaries, and in this instance, our joint law enforcement partnerships were able to stop this Idaho-based child predator from finding victims wherever his disgusting impulses may have led him,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest.