Legal Insights

Craigslist Child Enticement Sting: How Federal Agents Caught One of Their Own (ICE Supervisor)

An ICE supervisor caught in a sting, nearly 100 text messages, and a 135-month sentence.

Today, we dive into the Ninth Circuit’s April 2026 decision in United States v. Williams. When Koby Williams was arrested during an undercover “child enticement” operation, he claimed he was actually the one doing the investigating. But the court had the receipts—including a text message where he admitted, “I am a cop… I’m not afraid.”

In this video, we analyze:
The Digital Trap: How Detective Martinez used a “Warning in Moses” Craigslist post to lure targets.
The “Enticement” Standard: Why the 9th Circuit rejected the defense that the government must prove a defendant “overcame the will” of a minor.
The Evidence: What police found in the car (cash, Viagra, and vodka) that sealed the jury’s verdict.

Case Details: United States v. Williams, No. 24-5792 (9th Cir. 2026), https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/04/13/24-5792.pdf

Statute: 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b) (Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor)., https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2422

Filed under: Federal Crimes · Border & Immigration Crimes

Anton Vialtsin

Anton Vialtsin, Esq., E.I. is a San Diego criminal defense attorney and CJA Panel member in the Southern and Central Districts of California. New case breakdowns every Wednesday on YouTube.

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