Man sentenced to 5 years for attempting to sexually entice minor

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – A 33-year-old Caldwell man was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison on the charge of attempted use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor, which involved the defendant using the internet to entice a minor into sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced Thursday.

According to court records, between August 3, 2023 and August 18, 2023, Tyler Douglas Asker communicated online with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl. During the communications, Asker sent the purported child an explicit video and discussed engaging the child in sexual acts.  Asker requested the child’s address and was arrested after he traveled to meet the child.

Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also sentenced Asker to 10 years of supervised release. Asker will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.

The investigation was part of “Operation Summertime Blues,” a joint local, state, and federal undercover operation conducted in Boise in August 2023 to identify individuals predisposed to meet minors for sexual contact.  Participating agencies included the Boise Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Meridian Police Department, the Garden City Police Department, and the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

Asker is the last of three defendants charged in federal court as a result of Operation Summertime Blues. Earlier this year, Shawn Edwin Long, 42, of Kuna, and Daniel DeLong, 44, of Ontario, were both sentenced by Judge Winmill to 60 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for attempted use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor.

“I am grateful to all the agencies who supported ‘Operation Summertime Blues,’” U.S. Attorney Hurwit said. “The proactive and collaborative approach used to catch these would-be predators is essential to protecting Idaho’s children.  We will continue to pursue anyone seeking to sexually exploit minors through online communications.”