Two men sentenced to Federal prison on Internet Enticement charges Both Defendants Believed They Were Chatting Online With An 11-year-old Girl ASHEVILLE, N.C.

TWO MEN SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON ON INTERNET ENTICEMENT CHARGES Both Defendants Believed They Were Chatting Online With An 11-year-old Girl ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Donnie Lee Curry, 46, of Roaring River, N.C., was sentenced on September 21, 2011, to serve 168 months in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime period of supervised release for attempting to entice a minor via the Internet, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered the defendant to register as a sex offender.

U.S. Attorney Tompkins is joined in making today’s announcement by Sheriff Van Duncan of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief Erik Summey of the Fletcher Police Department. A federal criminal indictment filed on October 5, 2010, charged Curry with a single count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in a sexual act. According to filed court documents and court proceedings, Curry was chatting online with someone he believed to be an 11-year-old girl. Curry was actually chatting online with a deputy of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. Curry attempted to meet the “minor” but was intercepted and arrested by law enforcement. Curry entered a plea of guilty on December 17, 2010.

A separate criminal indictment filed on October 5, 2010, charged Floyd Lee Baker, 54, of Hudson, N.C., with a single count of attempting to entice a minor via the Internet. According to information contained in court documents and to information provided during court proceedings, Baker was chatting online with a deputy of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office who was posing as an 11-year-old girl. Baker attempted to meet the “minor” but was intercepted and arrested by law enforcement. Baker, who pled guilty to the charge on December 17, 2010, was sentenced on September 21, 2011 by Judge Reidinger to serve 148 months in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime period of supervised release. Judge Reidinger also ordered Baker to register as a sex offender.

Both Curry and Baker are in local federal custody. Upon designation of a federal facility, they will be transferred into custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole. The investigation was handled by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Fletcher Police Department. The prosecution for the government was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Thorneloe of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice, aimed at combating the growing online sexual exploitation of children. By combining resources, federal, state and local agencies are better able to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue those victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.