A Pierce County man has been indicted on charges related to attempted enticement of a minor and production of child sexual abuse images. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced that Randy Lee Young, 40, was taken into federal custody on April 24, 2025. He was initially arrested on November 16, 2024, after allegedly attempting to meet with someone he believed would provide her young daughters for sexual assault in Marysville, Washington.
Young appeared in court today and pleaded not guilty. He is currently detained at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac, with a trial set before U.S. District Judge Lauren King on July 14, 2025.
Court records indicate that Young communicated between November 8 and November 15, 2024, with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as the mother of two young girls aged eight and eleven. After driving from his home in Pierce County to Marysville for the arranged meeting, Young was apprehended and held at Snohomish County Jail until federal charges were filed.
Investigators discovered images of child sexual abuse on Young's cell phone after he permitted them to review it. The investigation further revealed that Young had met a minor online in October and November 2024 and traveled seven times to her hometown in southwest Washington to videotape sex acts with the thirteen-year-old girl who had disclosed her age via text messages.
The indictment includes allegations punishable by severe penalties: attempted enticement of a minor carries up to life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum of ten years; production of child sexual abuse images mandates a minimum fifteen-year sentence up to life imprisonment.
It is important to note that these charges are only allegations at this stage. "A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
The FBI Seattle’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is leading the investigation while Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson prosecutes the case.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local resources. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.