SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — An El Dorado Springs man was sentenced in federal court today for planning to coerce the fictional child of an undercover federal agent to engage in illegal sexual activity.

The U.S. Department of Justice of the Western District of Missouri said 49-year-old Jarrett Lee Vann was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison without parole.

Vann will also spend the rest of his life on supervised release following his incarceration.

A press release states Vann pleaded guilty in October 2022 to two charges:

  • One count of coercing and enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity
  • One count that charges additional penalties for registered sex offenders

At the time of the offense, Vann was required to register as a sex offender due to a federal conviction for receiving or distributing child pornography in the District of Idaho.

Vann admitted to having an online conversation with an undercover federal agent who he met in a dark web chat room in November 2021.

Their conversations continued through February 2022 on a mobile instant messaging app, where Vann expressed interest in sexual acts with the undercover agent’s fictional four-year-old daughter.

Vann engaged in graphic discussions about what he wanted to do to her and discussed having a long-term sexual relationship with the child, among other graphic details.

During those conversations, Vann claimed he had many relationships with girls ranging in age from three to 15 years old. He told the undercover agent he favored girls four to five years old and admitted he had sent nude images to individuals he believed to be minors.

Vann made plans for the undercover agent to travel to Missouri with her purported daughter so Vann could have sexual contact with her.

Vann met the undercover agent at a restaurant in El Dorado Springs. When they left the restaurant, Vann was arrested. Files of child sexual abuse material were found on his electronic devices.

In 2008, Vann was convicted of possessing sexually exploitative material and sentenced to 10 years in Idaho state prison.