U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation |
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| In Reply, Please Refer to Release No. |
219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604 |
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January 6, 2003 Wisconsin Man Arrested for Attempted Sexual Exploitation of Minor Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Richard S. Casler, Director of the Schaumburg, Illinois Police department, announced today the arrest of CHARLIE J. MASIN, age 40, of Janesville, Wisconsin. MASIN was arrested yesterday afternoon, without incident, by FBI Special Agents and Detectives from the Schaumburg Police department outside a Schaumburg area restaurant. MASIN will be charged in a criminal complaint filed later today in U.S. District court in Chicago with one count of attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, which is a felony offense. It is alleged that MASIN traveled from his home in Janesville to Schaumburg for the purpose of engaging in sexual relations with a minor female that he had meet over the internet. In reality, the intended victim was an undercover FBI Special Agent who was posing as a 15 year old. This arrest was the result of a joint investigation by the FBI and the Schaumburg Police department, which targets sexual predators who use the internet to identify possible victims. MASIN will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ian H. Levin, later today, at which time he will be formally charged. If convicted of this offense, MASIN faces a possible sentence of up to 15 years incarceration. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. EDITOR's NOTE: A copy of the complaint filed against MASIN is available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 786-2645. |
