Burlington Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Davenport, Iowa - A Burlington man was sentenced on Thursday, July 11, 2024, to 120 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Corey Lee Ritz, 48, engaged in a Facebook conversation with an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old female. Ritz proceeded to graphically describe the kinds of sex acts he would like to perform on the 15-year-old if they met in person. Ritz made plans to meet with the 15-year-old. Ritz then suggested that the 15-year-old bring another underage female to their planned meeting. Ritz then began communicating with a second undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old female. Ritz arranged to meet with the two minor females in person in Burlington, Iowa.

Ritz arrived at the pre-planned in-person meeting and was arrested by the Des Moines County Sherriff's Department. He had a Samsung cell phone and three condoms in his possession. Ritz admitted to law enforcement that he was meeting a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl for the purpose of sex.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Ritz will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by Des Moines County Sheriff Department.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.