DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A Nebraska man who thought he was meeting a 15-year-old girl at an Iowa motel for sex has been sentenced to three years in prison.
The Des Moines Register reports a federal judge sentenced John Daniel Nielsen for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The 40-year-old Omaha, Nebraska, man was swept up in a law enforcement operation targeting sex-trafficking after exchanging text messages with an undercover officer posing as the teen.
Nielsen arranged a Feb. 15 meeting at a Council Bluffs, Iowa, motel and agreed to pay for the sex. He was arrested when he arrived at the motel room.
In addition to prison term, he will be required to pay $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.