TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A joint undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tallahassee investigation has led to a federal jury finding a Georgia man guilty of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
Dustin M. Hatcher, 39, of Sale City, Georgia, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life imprisonment, followed by a term of 5 years to life of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 4 at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker.
According to court records form the day-and-a-half trial, between Feb. 15 and Feb. 17, multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies conducted a proactive joint undercover investigative operation aimed at identifying and locating adults who were interested in engaging in sexual activity with minors. During this operation, an undercover investigator posted an ad on a website advertising that he and his fictitious 14-year-old niece — who another undercover investigator was posing as — were available for a sex encounter. The undercover investigator received messages from Hatcher indicating that he was interested in meeting and having sex with the undercover investigator and the fictitious niece. Hatcher agreed to meet up at a gas station in Tallahassee, where he was arrested by members of HSI and Leon County Sheriff's Office (LSCO).
This conviction was the result of a joint undercover investigative operation conducted by HSI, LCSO, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Tallahassee Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit the Department of Homeland Security’s Know2Protect.
To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website. To report to law enforcement in the Jacksonville area, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. Callers may remain anonymous.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.