A 16-year-old Florida boy wanted to stop sexual predators in his area and caught a 38-year-old man in the act.
A federal jury in Fort Pierce, Florida has found Zachary S. Spiegel, 38, of Jensen Beach, guilty of attempted online enticement of a minor.
According to evidence presented at trial, for several weeks in January of this year, Spiegel communicated online and by text message with someone whom he believed was a 14-year-old girl named Shayla.
In reality, “Shayla” was a fictional persona created by a 16-year-old boy who was trying to identify child predators in the area. On January 9, Spiegel attempted to persuade Shayla to meet him in the parking lot of a Fort Pierce shopping plaza for sex in his car.
Spiegel sent Shayla graphic descriptions of the sex acts he would perform on her, as well as photos of his erect penis. They agreed on a time and place to meet, but Spiegel did not make it. Spiegel later explained to Shayla that while on his way to their rendezvous, law enforcement officers pulled him over for speeding and he decided to return home.
After this incident, the 16-year-old boy contacted law enforcement.
Spiegel kept communicating with a person he believed was the 14-year-old Shayla. As he had done before, Spiegel made sexually explicit comments, sent several more photos of his face and penis, and talked about meeting Shayla in person.
A law enforcement investigation led officers to Spiegel. They executed a search warrant at his Jensen Beach home on January 20, where they found him in possession of the cellular phone he had used to communicate with “Shayla.”
U.S. District Court Judge Paul C. Huck will sentence Spiegel on May 23, at 9:30 a.m., in Fort Pierce federal court. Spiegel faces 10 years to life in federal prison.
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