TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa man labeled a "predator" will spend nearly 13 years in a federal prison after his sentencing on Thursday.
Justin Hunt, 31, spent six months talking to someone he thought was the mother of a small child, according to the Department of Justice. Hunt requested to meet the small child several times and described in graphic detail the sex acts he planned to engage in with the child, officials say.
“This predator intended to rape a young child,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs. “Instead, he was stopped in his tracks by HSI special agents and will now be held accountable for his crimes.”
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Hunt was actually talking to an undercover agent the entire time. He was found guilty on March 21.
The Department of Justice says the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich sentenced Hunt to 12 years and 8 months in federal prison.
For more information on Project Safe Childhood, click here.
