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Crawfordville Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation Crimes

Anthony Wayne Lanier, 33, of Crawfordville, Florida, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted enticement of a minor and attempted transmission of obscene material to a minor.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 31, 2026, 2:11 p.m. ET
Developing · checked 2h ago

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 31, 2026, 1:09 p.m. ET — checked 2h ago.

Anthony Wayne Lanier, 33, of Crawfordville, Florida, was on August 31, 2026, to 10 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Attempted Transmission of Obscene Material to a Minor, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin. Court documents reflect that on November 20, 2025, Lanier communicated online with an individual he believed to be a child, but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. He repeatedly asked the child to send inappropriate photos, asked to commit sexual acts on the child and her friend, and sent a picture of his genitalia. He then drove to an agreed-upon location where he believed he would meet the child, but was arrested by law enforcement upon arriving. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This case demonstrates the kinds of threats our kids face online from predators, like this defendant, who seek to sexually exploit and victimize them. Thankfully, our excellent state and federal law enforcement officers are committed to tracking down those offenders wherever they lurk, and my office is aggressively prosecuting these cases to keep them locked behind bars and away from our kids.” Once released from prison, Lanier will be on supervised release for a twenty-year term. The conviction and sentence resulted from a joint investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Tallahassee Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer and brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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  1. Version 131 Aug 2026, 18:11current

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