Nevada man arrested in FBI sex sting

A 43-year-old Reno, Nev., man could face federal prison time after being arrested in Ogden this week when he attempted to meet someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl.

In reality, Ed Regalado had been chatting online with an undercover FBI agent. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Regalado contacted the agent in an online chat room beginning Jan 16. During chat sessions, Regalado talked about having sex and also instructed the agent to delete the chat logs, out of concern that he could go to jail.

A meeting was set up in Ogden on Feb. 12. After being arrested at the meeting location, Regalado told police that he had traveled to meet a 13-year-old girl and that he intended to have sex with her. A search of his vehicle found a digital camera, a laptop computer, a cell phone and a tablet of Viagra.

If convicted, Regalado faces a 10-year mandatory sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors say the case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative through the U.S. Department of Justice.

Other recent Project Safe Childhood cases resulted in the indictment of two Moab brothers on Feb. 7. David Lee Cochran and Byron Scott Cochran are both charged with distributing child pornography.

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, the brothers said they had child pornography on their computer that depicted children from "0-16" years old involved in various sex acts. Both men have pleaded not guilty in court, and a jury trial has been set in April. If convicted, they face up to 30 years in federal prison.

A 46-year-old Beaver man also was indicted last week on one count of distributing child pornography. Terry Brent Thompson faces a mandatory 25-year sentence and could receive up to 70 years in prison, due to enhancements for previous sex-crimes convictions.