U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man who had sexual contact with a 15-year-old he met online to seven years in prison.
Michael S. Bakale, of St. Louis, met the then-15-year-old girl via an app in 2016. Over roughly six weeks, their conversation grew sexual and Bakale suggested the two meet. On Oct. 2, 2016, Bakale picked her up from a local mall and took her to a motel, where they engaged in oral sex.
Bakale, 39, pleaded guilty in May to a charge of coercion of a minor into an illegal sex act. There is no statute of limitations for that crime.
Bakale also faces a pending felony charge of statutory sodomy in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
The FBI and St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins prosecuted the case.
