Man gets 10 years for planned sex encounter with girl, 5, in Sterling Heights


DETROIT -- A 29-year-old Illinois man who admitted to driving from his home near Chicago to Sterling Heights for a planned sexual encounter with a 5-year-old girl was sentenced to 10 years in prison in federal court today.

Matthew Bastian of Aurora, Ill. is one of several defendants caught in a sting operation set up by the Macomb County Sheriff's Office in which an undercover officer posed as a mother looking for men to have sex with her 5-year-old child.

U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson handed down the 10-year sentence, which is the mandatory minimum set by Congress for crossing state lines to entice a minor under the age of 12.



He recommended Bastian, who has no previous criminal record, for sex offender and drug abuse treatment both during his prison sentence and after his release, when he will remain under supervision for five years.

Lawyers for Bastian said he suffered from low self-esteem and was abusing marijuana and alcohol daily when he began his online chats with the undercover officer.

Bastian said he has benefited from counseling he received while free on bond, wearing an electronic monitoring tether, awaiting sentencing.

"With everything that has happened, I would have rather gone through this experience than have continued on the road I was on," Bastian said.

"This is a blessing in disguise."

The Internet.
Where Men are boys, Women are Men, and children are FBI agents.

Or someone from Panarama...

How dumb can you get? Five year olds can't plan shot.

It was her mom, dude.

There's just no angle to this story that doesn't scream "totally f*cked up"

Woops I skipped that part of the story.

Love the way they implied it was down to weed. Thats the be-all-end-all kop out.. Sick farg should get longer.