Grand jury indicts Topeka man caught in Kansas City FBI sting targeting sexual predators
A 60-year-old man was indicted Tuesday for allegedly driving across state lines to meet a fictitious 14-year-old girl in Kansas City for illicit sex, according to federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege William H. Reichart, of Topeka, shared sexually explicit messages and photographs with an undercover FBI agent who posed as an underage girl online. He was arrested April 27 at an agreed-upon meeting place in Kansas City, prosecutors said.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Missouri, Reichart allegedly participated in a chat group known to the FBI as one frequented by adults who attempt to “lure children into sexual acts.”
An undercover agent sent him a private message and arranged a meeting over the span of roughly 24 hours, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. He was monitored through active surveillance driving his pickup truck away from his Topeka home and to the Kansas Turnpike.
At the time of his arrest, Reichart allegedly had in his possession items purchased from an adult toy store in Topeka. He also allegedly admitted during a police interview that he drove to Kansas City with the intent of having sex with a 14-year-old, according to court documents.
A federal grand jury charged Reichart with three felonies: attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted travel with the intent of engaging in illicit sexual conduct.
