Columbus man gets 10 years for child enticement

From the Storm Lake Tribune   

A Nebraska man who attempted to entice a 13-year old from the Storm Lake area for sex was sentenced Monday to more than 10 years in federal prison. In addition, the man, who had a prior conviction for domestic assault and stalking, illegally possessed ammunition.

Jeremy Kozak, age 39, from Columbus, Nebraska, received the 128-month prison term after pleading guilty to one count of attempted enticement of a minor.
In a plea agreement, Kozak admitted he used the username “Boredguy4girls” online to communicate with an underage victim he knew to be only 13. Law enforcement became aware of Kozak’s sexually explicit communications with the victim while investigating other inappropriate contacts adults have had with the girl. They found messages with graphic languages and pictures Kozak had sent to the child. Kodak had reportedly also been in contact with other underage people.

Undercover officers took over the victim’s account and posed as the child while continuing communications with Kozak. Believing he was still communicating with a child, Kozak made plans to drive the three hours from Nebraska to Iowa, to meet the 13-year old victim at a local park and engage in sexual activity. Kozak directed what the child should wear and when to leave home to meet him.

On August 12, 2019, Kozak arrived at the park and after seeing a decoy dressed in the agreed-upon attire, Kozak drove towards the decoy and was apprehended. Inside Kozak’s vehicle officers found a box of condoms, and shotgun ammunition that was illegal for Kozak to possess, as a domestic abuse convict.

Kozak was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office statement Friday, 10 years was the minimum sentence Kozak faced, and he could have been sentences to a maximum of life in prison.

Authorities fear that under quarantine, children may be more vulnerable to online predators.

“As children are spending more and more time online due to COVID-19, we all need to do our part to keep them safe,” said U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan. “Child predators like Jeremy Kozak will use this time to try to manipulate kids into having sex or posing for sexually explicit photos. Parents and loved ones can help protect children by monitoring their computer and cell phone use and teaching them about the risks of communicating online with someone they don’t know.”

U.S. Attorney Deegan also acknowledged the great work of Iowa’s law enforcement in bringing Kozak to justice. “Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the cooperation of the Buena Vista County Attorney’s Office, a child predator was stopped. We can all be proud of Iowa’s state and local law enforcement and their dedication to protecting children.”

Paul Allen, Buena Vista County Attorney agreed. “This case represents what can be achieved when state and federal prosecutors and law enforcement work collectively to hold dangerous individuals accountable.”

Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Darrell Simmons added, “Today I would like to recognize the outstanding team work and professionalism of Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Special Agent Matthew Burns and Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Joey Speers for their dedication and hard work on this important investigation. Throughout the investigation, Mr. Kozak made numerous contacts with the minor and the ‘undercover officer’ eliciting inappropriate sexual acts and photographs of the 13-year old. I have no doubt that if not for the intervention of Law Enforcement, not only would this 13-year old child have been victimized, other children would have been at risk from Mr. Kozak’s tactics.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.