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Montana Man Charged with Transporting Erie Girl Across State Lines for Sex
United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, May 12, 2009, that Donald Ray Maxwell Cates of Lewistown, Montana, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children.
The four-count indictment named Cates, age 21, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment presented to the court, Cates traveled to Erie from Montana for the purpose of meeting the victim and engaging in illicit sexual conduct. After Cates met the victim in Erie, they obtained a series of rides to Arkansas, where they were apprehended.
Launched in February 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian A. Trabold, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Erie Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Clarksville, Arkansas Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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