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Press Release

REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED FOR ENTICING A CHILD TO ENGAGE IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY

August 27, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Ken Mascara, Sheriff, St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, announced today that defendant Timothy Carver, of Vero Beach, FL, was sentenced on August 26, 2008 by United States District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez to 360 months' imprisonment, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

On February 14, 2008, a Ft. Pierce Grand Jury returned a two count Superseding Indictment charging Carver with persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing a person under 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to do so, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b), and doing so while being required to register as a sexual offender, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2260A.

The investigation revealed that Carver entered an America Online chat room and began to correspond with an undercover police officer posing as the father of an eleven year old handicapped girl. During internet communications, Carver repeatedly expressed his desire to engage in sexual activity with the purported child. Carver made plans to meet the father and his fictitious eleven year old daughter for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with the child. Carver arrived at the meeting carrying condoms and teddy bear for the child. Carver committed this crime while being required to register as a sexual offender as a result of his prior conviction for lewd and lascivious assault upon a ten year old child.

Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rinku Talwar.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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