Grand Blanc man pleads guilty to trying to meet 8-year-old for sex: 'Thank you for catching me'
FOX 2 - A Grand Blanc man was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for booking a hotel room to rape an 8-year-old girl.
The backstory:
Daniel Joseph Martina was sentenced after pleading guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Martina had booked a hotel room to have sex with an 8-year-old girl who did not exist, bringing beer, condoms, and devices with over 4,000 files of child pornography on them.
Homeland Security Investigation agents were waiting for him with handcuffs.
As agents escorted Martina from the hotel, he told them, "I just want to thank you guys for catching me before I hurt someone."
Martina, 38, said he met the father of an 8-year-old who agreed to let him rape his daughter while he watched, according to investigators. The father, however, was actually an undercover Homeland Security agent.
According to court records, Martina messaged the undercover agent over the course of several days using the social media application Kik.
He told the undercover that the child’s young age was what he was looking forward to most about the encounter.
In exchange for access to the child, Martina promised to give the undercover agent a cache of child pornography and offered to bring a six-pack of beer for them to split at the hotel.
US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by acting Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Pierczynski, Homeland Security Investigations Detroit.
"HSI will relentlessly pursue individuals who seek to exploit and harm children, whether they operate online or in person," said HSI Pierczynski in a statement. "Through proactive investigations and strong law enforcement partnerships, we will work to stop child predators before they can harm a child."
Daniel Joseph Martina, 38, of Grand Blanc, Michigan, was sentenced by United States District Judge Shalina D. Kumar.
The Source: Information for this report is from the US Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan.