Moorpark man sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for trying to entice minor
A federal judge sentenced a Moorpark man to more than 11 years in prison on Monday for soliciting sexually explicit photos from a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
Thomas Kern Gissell, 29, pleaded guilty on Jan. 5 to one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to a news release from U.S. Department of Justice. Ventura County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested him in February 2023.
Gissell will also be placed on 20 years of supervised release once he serves his 140-month sentence and must pay $5,100 in special assessments and $27,000 in restitution, prosecutors said.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Gissell, but the matter was eventually presented to the United States Attorney’s Office. The Ventura County Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Trask Force investigated the criminal case, which marks the group's first brought for prosecution.
In August and September 2022, Gissell attempted to entice through social media someone whom he believed was a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity, court documents show. In actuality, Gissell was talking to undercover law enforcement officers based in South Carolina.
Gissell sent sexual photos of himself and requested to see the girl naked, prosecutors said. He also described sexual acts he wanted to perform on her.
Gissell sent undercover officers pictures of a $50 Victoria’s Secret gift card he bought and the lingerie he wanted the girl to purchase with it. Prosecutors also believe he was in contact with minors and at least one other undercover agent posing as a teenager, according to court documents.
Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Moorpark man gets 11 years for trying to entice minor
