Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison

FORT WAYNE - Ryan Steele, 26 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady, after pleading guilty to Attempted Transportation of a Minor, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Steele was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in March 2023, Steele traveled from his home in Indiana to Texas to meet up with a minor female with whom he had been talking online for five years. Steele was located traveling to Texas and once there, law enforcement discovered he was attempting to locate the minor. After his arrest, Steele admitted to traveling to Texas to bring the minor back to Indiana to live with him and engage in sexual activity. Steele also admitted to talking online with the minor since she was approximately 11 years old and to knowing she was a minor.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Noble County Sheriff's Office, the Kendallville Police Department, the Lagrange Police Department, and the LaPorte, Texas Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.