TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution today announced the sentencing of Robert Frank, 46, to 30 years in Florida State Prison, followed by 10 years of sexual predator probation for soliciting sex with a minor.
A multi-agency undercover chat operation, Operation E-Guardian, aimed at identifying and investigating adults seeking sex with minors led to the arrest of Frank in October 2013. According to the investigation, led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement led and assisted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Frank responded to an ad on Craigslist and proceeded to communicate with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. Frank explicitly communicated with the child about sexual encounters he wanted to have and even sent a photograph of his genitals. In addition, Frank travelled to an undercover location twice in an attempt to have sex with the minor.
In July 2015, Frank was found guilty following a jury trial and was convicted of two counts of traveling to meet a minor, one count of online solicitation of minor, one count of unlawful use of a two way communications device and one count of transmission of material harmful to a minor.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution prosecutes multi-circuit organized crime while working regularly with federal and state counterparts to coordinate efforts against criminal activity. The office provides proactive partnership to law enforcement and is not limited to geographic or judicial boundaries.
