PENDLETON, Ind. — Jeffrey Kramer, 51, of Pendleton will serve a 30-year sentence for several counts of sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.
Police said Kramer met the girl on a dating app, knew she was under 18 and that her father had recently died. Kramer told the victim that his name was "Michael," and that he was a wealthy foreigner. He then groomed and psychologically extorted the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct saying he'd give her millions of dollars.
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"Adults who sexually exploit children are some of the worst in our society," said John Childress, acting U.S. attorney. "No amount of time behind bars seems adequate punishment for the monstrous behavior and harm Kramer knowingly caused this victim. We will continue to diligently work together with our law enforcement partners to identify these predators and bring justice to their victims."
“"Those who prey on the most vulnerable of our citizens, our children, will be held accountable for their heinous actions," said Paul Keenan, FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge. "This lengthy sentence demonstrates our commitment to identify and investigate those who exploit innocent children to ensure they can never victimize anyone else."
Police believed Kramer was grooming the underage girl, who lives in another state, to meet for a sexual encounter. The online encounters began in January of 2017 and Kramer was arrested in 2018.
Kramer must pay $10,000 in restitution and serve the remainder of his life on supervised release after he gets out of prison.
