Department of Justice
United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt
Southern District of Iowa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2011

Minnesota Man Sentenced for Travel to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct
     Davenport, IA-On May 24, 2011, Ananas Berhanu Getachew, age 28, of Bloomington, Minnesota, was sentenced by United States District Judge James E. Gritzner to 5 years of imprisonment in connection with Getachew's previous guilty plea to interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.  Getachew also was sentenced to 5 years of supervised release following imprisonment and ordered to register as a sex offender.
     In July 2010, Getachew engaged in internet chats with an individual he believed to be a 13-year old girl but who actually was an undercover Clinton County, Iowa, detective.  Getachew proposed sexual contact with the girl and indicated that he would travel from his home in Minnesota to the girl's home in Clinton County, Iowa.  On July 29, 2010, Getachew drove from Minnesota to Clinton County to the agreed rendezvous.  There, he approached an undercover female officer and was arrested.  Getachew admitted to police that he had arrived to meet a 13-year old girl for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.  Getachew also stated that he had engaged in sexual chats with other minors, and he was glad police arrested him before he succeeded in having a sexual encounter.
     This case was investigated by the Clinton County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Iowa.