BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. – A Bullhead City man snared in a law enforcement sting operation targeting adults preying upon children for sex pushed back a bit at his Aug. 13 sentencing hearing.
Steven Monte, 67, previously pleaded guilty to attempted luring a minor for sexual exploitation in one of his criminal cases. The conviction is connected to communication with an undercover officer Monte presumed to be a 15-year-old boy.
Monte was arrested in late Jan. when he arrived to meet with the teen for sex, only to learn that he had been communicating with law enforcement instead. The sting operation netted the arrests and indictments of eight other men for similar conduct.
The second case involved Monte’s possession of images of child pornography involving adult males and male minors.
Mohave County Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle ordered that Monte shall serve 10 years in prison, followed by lifetime probation.
“I don’t believe I should have that steep of a sentence your Honor,” Monte said. “I’ve never hurt anybody in my life.”
Monte said there were no victims in his cases, because one involved the undercover officer and the others involved images of unidentified children or juveniles.
“I am always disappointed when someone says there is no victim,” Judge Carlisle said, focusing on the child pornography material Monte possessed.
“When you say that there is no victim, I don’t agree with that,” Carlisle said. “I do think there is clearly a victim of sexual exploitation of a minor.”
While authorities did not identify the juveniles depicted in the child pornography, Carlisle explained a minor, somewhere, is a victim. And he added that that victim is victimized over and over and over again each time the images are viewed by child porn purveyors.
