MACON – A Dodge County resident was sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor, said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. The Honorable Marc Treadwell sentenced Bryan Alan Asbell, Sr., 56, of Chester, Georgia in federal court in Macon on Wednesday. Mr. Asbell pleaded guilty to his crime in January. Mr. Asbell will be required to register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to the plea agreement, on March 15, 2018, Mr. Asbell responded to an online post by agents with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) posing as a 14-year-old girl living on Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins. The post read, “Nuthing 2 do after school, can you get on base? wanna hang out or chat? hit me up!” On the same day, Mr. Asbell responded, “Must ask age? I am a veteran 55yoa white male.” The AFOSI undercover agent responded that it was a 14-year-old girl, and Mr. Asbell acknowledged the undercover agent’s age and continued to talk with the agent via email and cellular messages. Mr. Asbell discussed meeting up and what he would do if they did meet up, and indicated he would perform sexual acts. Mr. Asbell agreed to meet on Robins Air Force Base on April 5, 2018, when told that the undercover agent’s “mother” would be out of the house. Mr. Asbell was arrested when attempting to enter the meeting place, with a necklace and fast food as gifts for the agent he believed to be a young girl he was meeting for sex.

“Predators are online, seeking vulnerable children for their perverse sexual gratification,” said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “This Office will pursue these predators and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. I want to express my gratitude to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations for their excellent work protecting minors.”  

This case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shanelle Booker and Michael Solis are prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.