By: Richard L. Smith
A Lebanon, Indiana, man was sentenced today to 288 months in prison for his conviction on four counts of sex offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Randal Wise, 45, was previously convicted of attempted online enticement of a minor, transportation of explicit images of minors, possession of explicit images of minors and attempted transfer of obscenity to a minor following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp, who imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents in this case and the evidence at trial, on Oct. 24, 2019, Wise traveled to New Jersey and approached an individual he believed was a 14-year-old boy on an internet dating application, initiating a sexual dialogue.
The individual was actually an undercover officer posing as a minor. Wise sent the undercover officer multiple photographs of his genitalia and requested similar photographs in return.
The following day, Wise contacted another individual on the same application, whom he also believed to be a minor boy.
This individual was a second undercover officer. Wise engaged the second undercover officer in a highly sexual dialogue over the next 24 hours, sending sexually explicit photographs, questioning the second undercover officer about his sexual preferences, and inviting the individual to his hotel for sex.
On Oct. 26, 2019, Wise traveled to meet the second undercover officer to engage in sexual activity with a minor, at which time he was arrested.
Law enforcement seized Wise’s phone and discovered multiple items of explicit images of minors embedded in a sexually graphic conversation.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Wise to 10 years of supervised release.