Connecticut Mother Convicted of Traveling to Pennsylvania to Attempt to Have Sex with a 14 Year-old Boy

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Sarah Norton, 38, of Jewett City, Connecticut was convicted at trial of attempted enticement of a minor and traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor arising from her interactions with a 14 year-old boy.

The defendant, a married mother of three, met the victim while “gaming” online.  She then used online and cell phone communications to attempt to seduce the victim into engaging in sexually explicit contact.  Norton traveled from her home in Connecticut to Pennsylvania to meet with the boy for sex in a hotel room that she had rented, near where the child lived.  Norton’s plan was foiled after the victim’s father became suspicious of the messages the victim had on his cell phone and interrupted the plan.

“Those who sexually target children are among the most depraved in our society,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “This is true no matter the gender of the offender or the excuses served up for this type of behavior.  We will aggressively pursue and prosecute anyone who targets children for their own sexual gratification.”

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 Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

The defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of lifetime incarceration, a mandatory minimum ten years imprisonment, a mandatory minimum five years supervised release up to lifetime supervised release, a $500,000 fine, a $10,200 in special assessments.

The case was investigated by the Upper Macungie Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sherri A. Stephan.