SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WHCU) – An Ithaca man will spend more than 12 years in federal prison.

As part of a previous guilty plea, 49-year-old Joel Cook admitted to sending sexually explicit text messages to a girl under 14 and trying to lure her into a sexual encounter. The child did not respond, and her family reported Cook to the police. The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI assumed the child’s identity and spoke with Cook for several weeks. Cook was arrested on April 8, 2023, at a location he had arranged to meet her.

During additional investigation, a loaded handgun was found at Cook’s residence, which he was forbidden to have stemming from a 2022 felony conviction in Chemung County.

Cook was sentenced to 151 months in federal court on Thursday for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. He was sentenced to an additional 151 months for possessing a loaded handgun as a prohibited person by virtue of a prior felony conviction, though those sentences will be served concurrently.  Cook will be required to register as a sex offender and be supervised for 15 years when he’s released.