BUFFALO, N.Y.-- Timothy Dean Peterson, age 46, of Bradford, Pennsylvania, who was convicted of traveling interstate with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b), was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 87 months by Chief United States District Judge Richard J. Arcara, U.S. Attorney Terrance P. Flynn of the Western District of New York announced today.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., who handled the case, stated that the defendant was convicted after he traveled from Pennsylvania to New York in order to meet a 14 year-old minor whom he had met online through a Yahoo internet instant messaging account. Early in one morning during February of 2007, defendant traveled to New York and picked-up the child at a pre-arranged meeting place. Thereafter, the defendant had illicit sexual contact with the minor in his car, before dropping the minor off at school prior to "opening bell."

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .

The conviction was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Laurie J. Bennett, Special Agent-in-Charge; New York State Police, Olean Division, Investigators Gabrielle Kyser and David Elliott; as well as the Bradford, Pennsylvania Police Department, under the direction of Chief Roger Sager.