A Boulder man has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of transportation of a minor across state lines with the intention of engaging in sexual activity.
James Wendell Dean, 54, was sentenced Jan. 8, according to a Boulder County Sheriff’s Office news release.
In June 2023, a 15-year-old girl was reported missing by her guardians, the release stated. Detectives discovered the girl had been dropped off at Denver International Airport by a friend’s parent to fly by herself to Phoenix, Arizona.
Dean, a man who had known the girl since she was 11, pretended to be her father and picked her up from the Phoenix airport, the release stated.
While in Phoenix, Dean brought the girl to several motels and homeless shelters before being located by the FBI at a homeless shelter near Flagstaff, Arizona. Dean was arrested and the girl was returned to her guardians.
Dean had previously assisted the girl in running away from home one year prior.
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