CEDAR RAPIDS – A man who attempted to entice a 12-year-old girl to engage in criminal sexual activity pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Colton Rickels, age 19, from Monticello, Iowa, was convicted of one count of attempted enticement of a minor.
At the plea hearing, Rickels admitted that, in October 2014, he used the Internet to attempt to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce a 12-year-old female to engage in sexual activity.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Rickels was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Rickels faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and supervised release for 5 years to life following his imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Monticello Police Department, and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
