As a part of an agreement reached with federal prosecutors, Sean O’Neill, 49, of Hurricane, Utah admitted that from around April 26, 2015, to about October 2017, he used Facebook to attempt to entice a female minor to have sex with him.
Sean admitted that throughout the enticement period, he believed that the girl was under 18 years of age.
Sean admitted to taking four substantial steps toward committing the crime: moving from Michigan to Hurricane; buying a home in Hurricane; once in Utah, continuing to use Facebook to persuade the minor to have sex with him; and bringing the minor to his home in Hurricane.
Sean also admitted that he possessed an electronic device that contained more than 90 explicit images and three video segments depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children.
The plea agreement includes a stipulated sentence of 10 years in federal prison and at least five years of supervised release after he finishes his prison sentence.
There is no parole in the federal criminal system.
As part of the plea agreement, Sean must also register as a sex offender for his residence, the location of his employment, and the location of his school if he is a student. He must update his registrations no later than three business days after any change of name, residence, employment, or student status.
Sean was initially arrested on state charges in January 2018; a federal arrest warrant was issued in February 2018.
