An Alabama pedophile was popped by undercover FBI agents when he traveled across state lines to have sex with two underage boys.
Joseph Franklin Ellis, 33, of Attalla, Alabama, has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for traveling from Alabama to meet an undercover agent who said that he had 12-year-old and 5-year-old boys available for sex.
In February 2011, an undercover FBI task force officer placed a notice on a website designed for people to meet others for sexual purposes, saying that he had access to two minor boys. Ellis began communicating with the officer and wrote that he wanted to meet him for the express purpose of having sex with the boys.
The two eventually made arrangements to meet on May 30, 2011, at a Hampton Inn in Ringgold, Georgia, where Ellis would have sex with the two children. When Ellis showed up at the arranged location, FBI agents attempted to arrest him. Ellis fled and led the police on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed his car.
“Ellis made a decision to prey on innocent and vulnerable children when he traveled to have sex with them,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “Because he was making the arrangements through an undercover officer, Ellis was stopped and his quest to molest children was ended. These types of crimes are unimaginable and those who believe they can evade the law while carrying on this type of crime will learn as he did, you will be caught and you will go to jail.”
“This case demonstrates the need to remain vigilant with regard to the protection of our children,” said J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office. “The FBI is committed to identifying, investigating, and presenting for prosecution individuals who have demonstrated the desire to exploit and harm children.”
