U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announced today that a grand jury sitting in Toledo has returned a one-count indictment charging Chandos Bemus, age 30, of Trenton, Michigan, with traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
According to court documents, the defendant allegedly began an online conversation with an undercover operative of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in Toledo. The defendant reportedly believed this person to be an underage, 14-year-old minor and did knowingly solicit the operative to engage in sexual conduct.
According to the criminal complaint, on October 1st, 2020, the defendant agreed to meet the undercover operative at a hotel in Toledo, Ohio. The defendant allegedly traveled to the operative’s hotel from Monroe, Michigan, with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Upon arrival, the defendant was arrested.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.
In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Toledo, Ohio. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deyana Unis and Tracey Ballard Tangeman.