Boulder man sentenced for meeting Colorado teen in another state for marriage

A Boulder man was recently sentenced to both state and federal prison for ignoring court orders and traveling with a then 14-year-old girl to Arizona where the two planned to get married.

Earlier this month, James Wendell Dean was ordered to serve 188 months (15 years and eight months) in a federal prison. He will begin serving that sentence when he completes the state prison term. 

Dean, 54, pleaded guilty last year in the federal case to a single count of transporting a minor across state lines with the intention of engaging in sex with her. 

Dean met the girl through his son, according to case documents, in 2020. The girl and Dean's son attended the same middle school in Boulder. The girl began staying at Dean's home in Boulder - so often that she keep clothes and belongings there, according to case documents. 

At the time, the girl was, as investigators described, a victim of abuse who lacked a stable home life and who was "vulnerable."

In March 2022, a friend of the girl told a school administrator that the girl had spoken about about a sexual relationship she was having with Dean. This revelation led a protection order filed by the girl's mother against Dean. The Boulder Police Department also launched a criminal investigation. Through that, private messages between Dean and the girl were discovered on their phones which indicated a sexual relationship had started to form in late 2021.

Dean was 52 years old at the time. The girl was 14.

The protection order, despite testimony from the girl's family and a social worker, was denied by a Boulder judge on May 11, 2022. 

Hours later, the girl's mother reported her missing. 

Police gained a search warrant for Dean's residence the next day and found the girl hiding under a bed. They also found a stash of sex toys and nude photos of the girl. 

Dean was arrested. 

Four months later, he struck a plea deal with prosecutors. He was sentenced to 118 days in jail. 

The judge credited him with 118 days already served behind bars, then ordered Dean to have no further contact with the girl and added on a two-year probation. Dean walked out of the courtroom. 

He then moved to a Phoenix suburb. 

Communications between the pair, however, continued. Dean and the girl expressed their "forbidden love" through videochats and messages on Discord and other social media platforms, according to case documents. Some of those messages included nude images of the girl.

On June 19, 2023, Dean paid a friend to drive the girl to Denver International Airport. There, she boarded a flight to Phoenix using a ticket purchased by Dean which listed him as her parent. 

After she arrived, the girl texted photographs of herself to family, proving she was in Arizona. 

Dean, according to case documents, began introducing the girl to his acquaintances in Phoenix as his 19-year-old girlfriend. 

Authorities contacted Dean by phone four days after the girl's arrival. They asked him to return to his Phoenix apartment. He never did. 

Dean and the girl were located June 30 at a shelter in Flagstaff. Dean consented to a police interview. In it, he admitted to being in love with the girl and wanting to marry her after she turned 16. 

The girl was returned to her guardians in Colorado.

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors here took over the case against Dean due to the crossing of state lines. 

"Crimes against children are the most despicable in our society," U.S. Attorney Matt Kirsch stated in a press release. "Our office will aggressively prosecute anyone who harms a minor."  

Prior to his sentencing, prosecutors noted Dean himself suffered from physical abuse and neglect during an unstable childhood. 

"It must also be acknowledged, however," prosecutors wrote in a court document, "that countless humans cope with traumatic childhood neglect and/or abuse without choosing to inflict abuse upon others."

Dean is currently still in custody of the state prison for violating his probation conditions in the Boulder case. He will begin serving his federal term at an undisclosed date.

Dean was sentenced Jan. 8, but his wasn't the only such case on the books for federal prosecutors. Less than a week after Dean's sentencing, a federal judge sent a Denver man, Gabriel Estrada, to prison for 10 years. Estrada, 30, drove to Laramie in October 2024 believing he was meeting a 13-year-old girl whom he'd met online for sex. Estrada was arrested by police when he arrived. He had two condoms with him. 

Thursday, a federal judge in Wyoming sentenced James Warren Martin of Casper to 10 years. Martin, 38, was convicted of grooming a 13-year-old and establishing a sexual relationship with her two years ago. On Nov. 16, 2022, Martin picked up the girl from school and fled to Arizona with her. Amber Alerts were issued in both states. Martin and the girl were located in La Paz County, Arizona. In a police interview, Martin admitted to wanting to take the girl into Mexico where they could continue their relationship. 

Martin was also sentenced to at least 37 years in prison by a Wyoming state court for victimization of the same minor. 

The Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, is a group of local and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as prosecutors located in and around the state of Colorado, who are trained and dedicated to investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against children. If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited online or in person, you can report it online or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST.