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Colorado man who thought he was meeting 13-year-old in Utah sentenced after authorities show up instead.A Colorado man with a prior conviction for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old has been sentenced in federal court in St.George after admitting he traveled to Utah to engage in sexual activity with a minor, federal prosecutors said.Cody Jay Clark Williams, 31, of Grand Junction, appeared in U.S.District Court in St.George, where he was sentenced on one federal felony count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.He pleaded guilty to the charge in January.Williams was initially charged at the state level following his arrest near Moab on June 23, 2023, when authorities say he traveled to meet someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl, according to an indictment filed by Assistant U.S.Attorney Brady Wilson.Instead, Williams was met by undercover law enforcement officers and taken into custody.He was later charged in 7th District Court in Moab with first-degree felony enticing a minor for sexual activity and a third-degree felony count of dealing harmful materials to a minor while being held at the Grand County Jail.Four months later, federal prosecutors took over the case.17, 2023, Williams was indicted in U.S.District Court in St.George on two federal charges: coercion and enticement of a minor, and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.Over the next two years, the case was scheduled for trial multiple times before Williams entered into a plea agreement on Jan.He pleaded guilty to the traveling charge, and the coercion and enticement count was dismissed.The court also ordered a psychosexual evaluation prior to sentencing.In a sentencing memorandum filed May 27, prosecutors said Williams exchanged dozens of sexually explicit messages over the course of more than a month with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, beginning in May 2023.“Thankfully, Williams was in fact communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer,” Wilson wrote.According to the memorandum, Williams solicited sexual acts and sent explicit photos and pornographic videos to the decoy, allegedly to help her “learn.” He also instructed the individual to delete messages, not tell anyone, and acknowledged that his actions were illegal.Prosecutors said Williams then drove from Colorado to a prearranged meeting location near Moab, where he intended to engage in sexual activity with the minor.Undercover law enforcement officers followed him from his home in Grand Junction and arrested him upon arrival.A review of his cellphone revealed the full message exchange, and investigators noted the decoy’s contact was saved under the name “Steve.” Prosecutors said Williams qualified as a repeat and dangerous sex offender against minors and used a computer to commit the offense.Court records show Williams was previously convicted in Colorado in 2021 for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old.In the current case, prosecutors said Williams crossed state lines with the intent to sexually abuse a child, and the crime was only prevented due to the undercover operation.They also noted a pattern of minimizing his conduct, both in the current case and in prior offenses.Federal sentencing guidelines recommended a prison term ranging from 168 to 210 months.During a sentencing hearing before U.S.District Judge Ann Marie McIff-Allen, Williams was sentenced to 150 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.He was also ordered to forfeit his Samsung cellphone.Attorney Melissa Holyoak said the sentence reflects the District of Utah’s commitment to protecting children.“The District of Utah has zero tolerance for individuals who threaten the safety of our most vulnerable population and repeatedly break the law,” Holyoak said.“Communities are safer with predators like Williams behind bars.” The case was investigated by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.