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	Former Minister Awaits Sentence By D. E. Smoot Muskogee Phoenix [Oklahoma] June 12, 2007 http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_163235458.html A former Tahlequah minister awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to one count of using an interactive computer service to transmit an obscene and lewd picture. The federal charge to which Charles Barry Shaffer, 45, pleaded was alleged in superseding information filed in the U.S. District Court of Western Oklahoma as part of a plea deal. Shaffer originally was indicted for using the Internet "to persuade, induce, and entice, a person who he believed to be under 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity." He pleaded guilty to the amended charge Monday. As part of the plea negotiation, Shaffer admitted sending a picture of himself exposing his genitals to a person who claimed to be a 13-year-old girl. Shaffer was arrested Feb. 2 by Walters police when he walked into a house thinking he was going to meet the girl. The maximum penalty for the crime to which Shaffer pleaded, according to court records, is five years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. In accordance with the plea agreement filed in the case, Shaffer will get a more lenient sentence for accepting responsibility if he commits no further crimes and complies with all terms outlined in the agreement. Prosecutors also agreed to an additional reduction in sentence for Shaffer's early acceptance of the terms of the plea agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Shaffer could be subject to further prosecution in other jurisdictions or for other criminal acts should any revealed by further investigation. An affidavit filed by FBI Agent Eric Nye indicates Shaffer began chatting online with the decoy Jan. 2. By Jan. 5, Shaffer allegedly was making arrangements to meet the decoy in the southwestern Oklahoma town of Walters. FBI agents were contacted Feb. 2 about the alleged rendezvous and were at the house when Shaffer arrived. Nye states in the affidavit that Shaffer told authorities he had rented a motel room in Lawton, where he planned to take the girl for a night of sex. Shaffer, according to the affidavit, told authorities he had a digital camera he had planned to use to record the night's events. Nye confirmed Shaffer's room reservation and located the room, where Shaffer allegedly left condoms, a digital camera and baby oil. Shaffer served as the leader of the Northeastern State University campus ministry sponsored by the South College Church of Christ in Tahlequah. He resigned in February after his arrest. U.S. Attorney John C. Richter said Shaffer's charges arise from an investigation that is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. "The initiative marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as identify and rescue victims," Richter said. A sentencing will be scheduled upon the completion of a presentence investigation.
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