A Columbus man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to one charge of attempting to send obscene material to a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.
Jacob Curtis Wyckoff, 25, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, according to a news release from Laslovich's office.
Federal prosecutors argued in court documents that Wyckoff was caught by in an undercover sting in January 2023 in the Billings area by law enforcement aiming to catch adults they believed had a sexual interest in children.
An undercover agent posed as a 14-year-old girl on a social media site, and Wyckoff reached out to the agent using the app KIK, according to Laslovich.
The two communicated from Jan. 26, 2023, to July 14, 2023, with discussions becoming increasingly sexual in nature, according to Laslovich. On multiple occasions, Wyckoff expressed a desire to meet, and he sent a sexually suggestive picture of his crotch on July 6, according to Laslovich.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Wyckoff was released pending further proceedings.
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.
