PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that 53-year-old Thomas Traumann, of Wilmington, DE, has been sentenced to eight years and three months in prison, ten years’ custody release, and a $ 25,000 find U.S. District Court Judge Gene EK was convicted of Pratter for traveling across state lines to have sex with someone he believed was a minor child.
In October 2020, the defendant pleaded guilty to a number of interstate trips with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. The indictment goes back to Traumann’s attempt in late 2018 to induce a minor into a sexual relationship with him.
On November 3, 2018, Traumann started an online chat on a social media website with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. In reality, the defendant was exchanging online messages with a special agent for the Pennsylvania Attorney General who was working undercover. In his communications, Traumann repeatedly admitted that the “girl” was 14 years old and made his intentions very clear that he wanted to have a sexual encounter with her days later. He also knew that what he was suggesting was against the law and said in part, “… I’m a little worried … I’m going to jail for your age …” When Traumann drove the vehicle to find this alleged girl in hers To meet nearby On November 5, 2018, he was taken into custody in Pennsylvania by law enforcement agencies.
“This defendant traveled here from outside the state and was ready to sexually assault a young, vulnerable child,” said Williams’ first assistant attorney. “I shudder at the thought of what would have happened if Traumann had connected to an actual child online instead of an undercover agent. We are grateful to our federal, state, and local partners who work tirelessly to identify and stop anyone who would hunt down underage children. “
The case is submitted under Project Safe Childhood. In 2006 the Justice Department launched Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by US law firms and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood gathers federal, state, and local resources to locate, arrest, and prosecute those who exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, see www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
The case has been investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and is being pursued by United States Assistant Attorney Josh A. Davison.
