The man from Indiana was caught in a sting operation while trying to meet a child in New Jersey for sex. He was then sent to federal jail.
In a release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said that Randal Wise, 45, of Lebanon, Indiana, was given a 24-year sentence in Trenton federal court on Wednesday. He was found guilty at trial of trying to attract a minor online, transporting child pornography, having child pornography on him, and trying to send profanity to a minor.
This year, 19 guys were arrested as part of the large multi-agency sting operation. Wise was one of them.
Feds say Wise sent messages to two people on a dating site that he thought were young boys while he was in New Jersey in October 2019. The people who used them both turned out to be police officers working secretly.
Federal prosecutors say that while he was talking to the first cop, he sent him naked pictures of himself and asked for the same pictures back. Officials say that during chats with the second cop, he started sexually explicit conversations and asked the person to come to his hotel for sex.
Wise was caught when, on October 26, 2019, he went to the undercover officer’s place of work thinking he was meeting a young boy. After that, his cell phone was taken away, and police said they found evidence of the calls as well as child pornography on it.
Wise will also be under supervision for 10 years as part of his punishment.