STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Austin Campbell, 46, of Smyrna, Delaware, who was convicted of interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison and 10 years supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Wei Xiang, who handled the case, stated that between June 15, 2017, and August 22, 2017, the defendant, began communicating on a social networking application with an undercover agent employed by the Department of Homeland Security. At the time, Campbell believed the agent was a 15-year-old female from Buffalo. The defendant engaged in very graphic sexual conversations with the agent via chat messages. During them, Campbell discussed traveling to Buffalo to engage in sexual activity.
On August 21, 2017, the defendant indicated that he would be in Buffalo on August 23, 2017. He and the undercover agent discussed the details of how they would meet. On August 23, Campbell traveled from the State of Delaware to a truck stop located in Cheektowaga, NY. After arriving at the truck stop, the defendant sent the agent a message to come and meet him in the parking lot. Campbell was arrested at that time.
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
