A Wisconsin man was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison after driving to Munster, Ind., to meet a 10-year-old girl in a child sex tourism investigation.
Denton Jerome, 32, of Doylestown, Wis., pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana.
Jerome was sentenced Wednesday to 235 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, the release states.
“Crimes committed against innocent children are particularly egregious,” U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch said in the release. “Others who commit these type of offenses, should be warned by this sentence.”
Jerome was arrested during an undercover operation targeting customers of child sex tourism, according to the release.
Jerome drove April 18, 2017, from Wisconsin to a hotel in Munster “with the intent to engage in commercial sex acts with a 10-year-old female,” the release states.
Less than a year earlier, Jerome was convicted of attempted child enticement in Eau Claire, Wis., which was also part of an undercover sting operation, according to the release. He was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment, the release states.
Jerome committed the offense while on probation from his first conviction, the release states.
Homeland Security Investigations and Hammond police investigated and Assistant U.S. Attorney Abizer Zanzi prosecuted the case.
“Mr. Jerome’s lengthy prison sentence is a harsh reminder that law enforcement and the courts will not tolerate those who steal the innocence of the children and of our communities,” James Gibbons, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago, said in the release.
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