PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Paxton man was convicted this week for enticement of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
Robert S. Anderson, 54, had already gone to trial once and been found guilty on the charge. But the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the conviction, saying that Anderson at his first trial should have been able to argue that police entrapped him into trying to have sex with someone he believed was 15.
His sentencing is set for July 10 at the Urbana federal courthouse by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm. At that hearing, Anderson faces at least 10 years and possibly up to life in prison. He also must register as a sex offender.
Until that hearing, Anderson remains in the custody of the U.S. marshals.
During the three days of trial, prosecutors argued that Anderson had arranged to meet with what he believed was a 15-year-old girl using the dating app MeetMe.
He was arrested over Valentine’s Day weekend in 2020 as part of an FBI operation conducted in Kankakee County. The operation, dubbed Cupid’s Arrow, was conducted with the assistance of the Bradley Police Department, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group.
