Bucks County Man Sentenced For Attempting To Solicit Sex From Minor Online
By Brad Segall
WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) -- A Bucks County man who worked in several jobs around children is headed to federal prison for ten years after admitting he tried to solicit sex from what he thought was a teenage girl over the Internet.
Online he was known as "mikecoach73" and federal investigators say he arranged a meeting with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. But 39-year-old Michael Barndt traveled from his Sellersville home to Wilmington, Delaware in June to meet an undercover detective where he was arrested and charged with attempted enticement and coercion of a minor.
Homeland Security Special Agent John Kelleghan says they confiscated Barndt's smartphone.
"We found it after forensic review to contain approximately 15,000 images of teenage females who were in various stages of dress or partially or completely nude," Kelleghan says.
Barndt held jobs as a youth football coach and a camp counselor in Montgomery County.
He contends he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest when he was 16 years old. At this point, officials say there's no indication he molested any children.