Claremore Man Sentenced After Offering to Pay a Minor Victim to Perform Sex Acts

TULSA, Okla. - Today, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced David Leon Strickland, 46, for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. Judge Russell ordered Strickland to 162 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Strickland will also be required to register as a sex offender.

"Child predators like Strickland target unsuspecting children through social media and gaming sites," said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. "With the increase of online access, child exploitation is at an all-time high. Take the time today to know who your children are talking to online."

Beginning in November 2017, Strickland admitted to using meth daily and knowingly began contacting a minor under 18 years old. Via text, Strickland repeatedly requested the minor victim to engage in sex. If the minor victim complied, Strickland offered to pay the minor.

Strickland will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The FBI, Verdigris Police Department, and Claremore Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly prosecuted the case.

If you believe sexually explicit photos or videos of you were posted online, Take It Downcan help. Take It Down is a free online website hosted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. You can anonymously request help to remove or stop the sharing of sexually explicit content. Take It Down also provides services for victims, survivors, siblings and caregivers looking for mental health and peer support. Further, if you are being threatened by image sharing or other forms of online exploitation, you can submit a report online.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ's PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.