TOPEKA, KAN.- A federal jury convicted a Missouri man on one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, after he was arrested in an undercover operation in Osage County, Kan.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Steven E. Spradley, 58, of Kansas City, Mo., traveled from Jackson County, Mo., to Osage County in July 2021 to have sex with someone whom he believed to be a 17-year-old girl he met online. Spradley was actually communicating with an Osage County Sheriff’s Office investigator posing as a minor.

The jury delivered its verdict June 12, 2023, after a four-day trial in U.S. District Court, Topeka, Kan. The jury failed to reach a verdict on a second count of attempted transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Spradley faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for Oct. 10, 2023.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office is part of the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Osage County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Walton and Stephen Hunting are prosecuting the case.

Information thanks to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.