JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Arthur Jay Traxler, Jr. (55, Michigan) with one count of attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and one count of attempted production of child sexual exploitation materials. If convicted, Traxler faces a minimum mandatory term of 25 years, and up to life, in federal prison. Traxler was arrested on November 9, 2020, in Monroe, Michigan and was ordered detained pending trial.
According to the indictment, between July 21 and August 4, 2020, Traxler attempted to entice an individual, whom he believed was under the age of 18, to engage in sexual activity. Traxler also attempted to entice a minor to engage to produce child exploitation materials during this same time period.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.