WYOMING, Mich. — A man from Ohio is now in federal custody after a Homeland Security investigation exposed his desire to have sex with a 12-year-old girl he believed was in West Michigan.
William Moon from Urbana, Ohio was arrested on March 19 outside a restaurant in Wyoming. Homeland Security Investigations special agents on the case say Moon traveled 5 hours to confirm the person he'd been chatting with online was not a police officer. He found out his suspicions were right when getting cuffed.
Court documents obtained by FOX 17 reveal that Moon had been chatting with an undercover agent since January 10, 2024. In them the Ohioan expressed interest in having sex with a minor.
The chats happened into two messaging services, including one specifically marketed as a space for users to share pornographic material.
The agent posed as a single woman living in the midwest with hints of a duaghter. In the first series of messages, Moon asked the undercover agent if she had a daughter, and asked if he could have sexual relations with the supposed 12-year-old.
But Moon was wary of the undercover agent being police. "I haven't even seen either of you yet... I just want to be sure you are real. Just like you don’t want to loser her, I don’t want to go to jail.”
Moon was previously busted for setting up a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old in Ohio. He served 2 days in jail, 3 years probation, and had to register as a sexual offender.
In this year's case, Moon decided a meet-up in a public place would confirm the undercover agent and her fictional daughter were real.
“But if you are a cop," Moon wrote, "I'm pretty sure this meeting shows premeditation to commit a crime.”
Despite the misgivings, Moon sent several gifts to an address provided by the undercover agent meant for the 12-year-old. Those included a set of underwear and socks.
After weeks of messages back and forth, Moon left his home in Ohio. Law enforcement tracked the GPS signal from his phone as he traveled. Moon messaged the agent when he arrived at the parking lot of a restaurant in southern Wyoming, asking her to meet him.
Federal agents arrested Moon minutes later. During interviews Moon admitted to discussing having sex with a minor girl during online chats. Agents also say he admited to receiving child pornography on his devices.
Moon faces charges of inducing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and crossing state lines to engage in sexual acts with a minor.
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