EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal jury convicted a Belleville, Illinois, man for attempting to meet with an underage teen to have sex with her.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois said Gerald Sewell, 59, was found guilty on Tuesday of one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Sewell was one of 14 men in the bi-state region charged in June 2020 following an FBI-lead investigation targeting online predators.

According to court documents, Sewell contacted an undercover agent posing as a 15-year-old girl via online chat. Sewell made plans to meet the girl for sex at a house in Collinsville. Sewell was arrested when he arrived at the home.

During a post-arrest interview with investigators, Sewell said he was living at a friend’s house in Missouri, meaning he crossed state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Sewell will be sentenced on Sept. 20.