A man has been sentenced to five years behind bars after an online sex sting revealed he was trying to entice someone he believed was 14 years old on the dating app Tinder, prosecutors said.
Joseph Gambino, 32, was arrested three years ago after he “sent graphic nude pictures and engaged in explicit sexual conversations,” according to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.
He was convicted May 27 of attempting to entice a child and computer sexual exploitation, the DA’s office said in a news release Wednesday. In addition to his prison time, Gambino will serve 10 years on probation.
The supposed 14-year-old was actually part of a sting operation conducted by the Marietta Police Crimes Against Children division, the release states.
The arrest took place in 2019 at a Dave and Buster’s in Marietta, where Gambino believed he would be meeting a minor for sex. According to the release, he was taken into custody as he was attempting to coax the minor to his car in the parking lot.
“This defendant purposely sent explicit pictures and made plans to have a sexual encounter with someone he believed to be 14 years old,” Senior Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Raynor said in a statement. “Thanks to the hard work of law enforcement and the jury, all Cobb residents can rest easier knowing this predator will no longer be a threat to our community.”
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