A 33-year-old Frankfort man was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison Tuesday after previously pleading guilty to using the internet to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity.    Â
According to the guilty plea agreement, on May 16, 2019, Ricky Joe Cornish Jr. contacted an individual, who self-identified as a 15-year-old female living in Franklin County, using the MeetMe/Skout messenger internet application on his cellphone. The person Cornish contacted was, in reality, an investigator with the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Branch. The investigator communicated that they were also with a 17-year-old girl, and Cornish expressed interest in having sex with the 17-year-old.
Later that day, Cornish drove to an agreed-upon hotel in order to meet the minor and engage in criminal sexual activity. When Cornish arrived at the Franklin County meeting place he was arrested by law enforcement officers. An examination of Cornish’s cellphone revealed the conversation with the investigator, as well as a similar conversation with another person who is believed to be a female juvenile.
Cornish pleaded guilty in July. He was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove. Â
Under federal law, Cornish must serve 85% of his prison sentence; upon his release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 20 years.
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