October 20, 2011
SEATTLE MAN SENTENCED TO LENGTHY FEDERAL PRISON TERM FOR ATTEMPTING TO COERCE AND ENTICE TWO MINORS TO ENGAGE IN SEX ACTS
DENVER – Gary Waffle, age 70, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced earlier this week to serve 188 months (over 15 years) in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn for attempting to coerce and entice minor children to engage in sexual conduct, United States Attorney John Walsh and ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge David Marwell announced. Following his 15 year sentence, Waffle was ordered by Judge Blackburn to serve 20 years on supervised release. With the 15 year sentence, Waffle will be 85 years old when he is released from prison. The defendant appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, and was remanded immediately after.
Gary Waffle was first charged by Criminal Complaint on July 29, 2010. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on August 26, 2010. He pled guilty before Judge Blackburn on July 29, 2011, and was sentenced on October 17, 2011.
According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, on January 28, 2010 an Internet Crimes Against Children detective who is with the Parker, Colorado Police Department, was contacted in an online chat room by Waffle. The detective was posing as a young mother of a 6-year old girl. Waffle engaged the undercover detective in numerous chats regarding the defendant’s desire to have sex with the 6-year old girl and another 14-year old girl associated with her family. Finally, Waffle and the undercover detective agreed to meet so that he could have sex with the minors. The defendant flew from Seattle, Washington to Denver, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the minors. Once in Denver, the defendant drove to fast food restaurant in Parker to meet the undercover detective and the two minor children. Once Waffle entered the restaurant he was greeted by the undercover officer posing as her undercover persona. Waffle discussed having sexual relations with two minor children. He was then arrested.
“This case serves as a stark warning that those who would use the Internet to seek out and sexually abuse children: You will be identified, apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “Thanks to the hard working investigators, this defendant failed in his efforts to perpetrate these terrible crimes.”
“Significant prison sentences like the one awarded to Gary Waffle are the best way to ensure that our children are protected from sexual predators who have honed their talents for luring children and keeping them silent,” said David Marwell, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Denver. “These sentences may also act as a deterrent for other would-be-predators as well.”
“The Parker Police Department takes a proactive stance in protecting children from online predators,” said Parker Police Chief David King. “We are extremely pleased with the assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ICE HSI, which ultimately resulted in the successful prosecution and sentencing of Mr. Waffle.”
This case was investigated by the Parker Police Department and ICE HSI. The investigation was also carried out with the assistance of the Seattle, Washington Police Department, Internet Crimes Against Children detectives.
Waffle was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Smith, who is the chief of the Special Prosecutions Section.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
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