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The United States Department of Justice
Welcome to the District of
Kansas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News releases are available at www.usdoj.gov/usao/ks/press.html
Contact: Don Ledford
Phone:(816) 426-4220
APRIL 18, 2007
FLORIDA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ATTEMPTING TO ENTICE A MINOR FOR ILLICIT SEX
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - John F. Wood, United States Attorney for the Western
District of Missouri, announced that a Jacksonville, Fla., man pleaded
guilty in federal court today to attempting to entice a minor over the
Internet for illicit sex.
Billy G. Hicks, Jr., 44, of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty before U.S.
District Judge Dean Whipple this morning to the charge contained in
a Feb. 9, 2005, federal indictment.
Hicks admitted that he initially contacted an undercover FBI agent posing
as a 13-year-old girl in an Internet chat room called "wants2tryyungfem"
on Jan. 18, 2005. Between Jan. 18 and Feb. 6, 2005, Hicks continued
to communicate with "Amber" via instant messaging. Hicks said he wanted
to engage in a variety of sexual acts with her and would be willing
to travel to Kansas City. Hicks also engaged in several telephone conversations
with another law enforcement officer who also pretended to be Amber.
On Feb. 5, 2005, Hicks traveled from Jacksonville to Kansas City via
Northwest Airlines. He was arrested by federal law enforcement officers
as he waited aboard an airplane that arrived at Kansas City International
Airport.
By pleading guilty today, Hicks also agreed to forfeit to the government
a laptop computer, a CD containing child pornography and a cellular
flip-phone.
Under federal statutes, Hicks could be subject to a mandatory minimum
sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to 30 years
in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing
hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation
by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine Fincham.
It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.