A Trion, Ga., man has been sentenced to serve 51 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in a child sex case.
Eric Daniel Lewis appeared before Judge Charles Atchley in Chattanooga.
Prosecutors said in March 2021 Lewis contacted a person on Facebook believing they were a minor male.
In fact, the online minor was an undercover FBI agent.
The two began online chats. Lewis was told that the minor was 14, though the age of 16 had been listed in an online profile.
Prosecutors said, "The conversation quickly turned to a sexual nature and the defendant immediately made it clear that he was interested in meeting the minor to engage in illicit sexual contact."
It was arranged that Lewis and the minor would meet in a park in Chattanooga. Lewis drove from his home in North Georgia on May 6, 2021, to meet the minor at the park.
Lewis, who was 37 at the time of his arrest, left after he saw he was about to be approached. Later that day agents went to his work place. Lewis admitted one of his reasons for going to Chattanooga was to have sexual contact with the minor.
He will be on supervised release for five years after completing his time in prison.