Illinois registered sex offender sentenced to 17 years for traveling to engage in sexual conduct with minor

ROCKFORD, Ill. - An Illinois man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison Friday for traveling to Iowa to engage in sexual conduct with a minor he met online.

Erich Brinkmeier, 27, of Freeport, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of commission by a registered sex offender of a felony offense involving a minor.

In October 2019, Brinkmeier admitted that he traveled to Iowa to engage in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old he met online.

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Brinkmeier was a registered sex offender, prosecutor said. He was required under Illinois law to comply with the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.

He also admitted to contacting another minor victim online and coercing her to send him sexually explicit images of herself.

A judge also ordered that the prison term be followed by a lifetime of court-supervised release.