SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Floyd Wood, age 48, of DeRuyter, New York, pled guilty today to attempting to entice a 12-year-old girl into a sexual encounter.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Special Agent in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his plea, Wood admitted that in April 2016, while text messaging with someone he believed was a female acquaintance, he arranged to meet with the acquaintance and her 12-year-old daughter at a Syracuse hotel to engage in a sexual encounter with both the mother and daughter. Wood was actually corresponding with law enforcement officers. He was arrested at the Syracuse hotel where he was to meet the child and her mother, after having been observed at an adult store where he purchased items he intended to use in the encounter.
Wood will be sentenced by United States District Judge David N. Hurd on May 4, 2017. He faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Wood will also be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Syracuse Resident Agency, together with the New York State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Fletcher as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, and led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.