Press Release
Wasilla Man Sentenced for Online Enticement of a Minor
February 21, 2018
(Anchorage, AK) – Dennis Armstrong, 38, was sentenced today before Judge Erin B. Marston in the Anchorage Superior Court on a single count of Online Enticement of a Minor. Judge Marston sentenced Armstrong to 10 years in custody and 5 years suspended with 5 years of supervised felony probation. Armstrong will also be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years.
Investigation into Armstrong began in May of 2016 when an undercover Cyber Crimes Unit detective, posing as a 13 year-old-girl, began communication with Armstrong through a Craigslist ad he posted titled “Daddy looking.” Over the next two months, Armstrong, believing he was communicating with a minor, exchanged several hundred e-mails discussing his desire to have sex with the minor culminating in a planned rendezvous for the purposes of renting a hotel room and having sexual intercourse.
Armstrong was taken into custody by undercover detectives in July 2016 after he traveled from Wasilla to Anchorage to meet with the fictional 13-year-old girl in the area of the Loussac Library. Armstrong drove to the area of the meet and exited his vehicle after surveilling the area with a pair of binoculars. Instead of meeting the minor Armstrong was met by detectives.
In a subsequent interview Armstrong admitted, consistent with e-mail communications, that he intended to have sex with the minor and that he was excited by the fact that the she was a “virgin.” Armstrong stated that he had purchased a package of condoms for this purpose which were later found in his truck after execution of a search warrant.
This case was investigated by the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Anchorage Police Department. According to Assistant Attorney General Thomas Aliberti who prosecuted the case, “This is yet another example of how important pro-active investigations by the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Anchorage Police Department are to identifying and prosecuting online predators and keeping the children in our community safe.”
CONTACT: Assistant Attorney General Thomas Aliberti @ (907) 269-6339 or thomas.aliberti@alaska.gov.
# # #
Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.