DEAN to serve over 15 years in federal prison following guilty plea

Boulder County, Colo. - On January 8, 2025, 54-year-old James Wendell DEAN, of Boulder, CO, was sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of transportation of a minor across state lines with the intention of engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the minor. Detectives at the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab began this investigation in June 2023 after a 15-year-old female resident of unincorporated Boulder County was reported missing by her guardians. Detectives determined the juvenile had been dropped off at Denver International Airport by the parent of a friend then boarded a flight to Phoenix, AZ as an unaccompanied minor. The juvenile was picked up at the Phoenix airport by DEAN, who pretended to be her father.

After determining their likely location at DEAN’s Phoenix residence, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) requested the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to attempt to recover the runaway juvenile and return her to her guardians.

While in Arizona, DEAN transported the juvenile to several different locations, including several motels and homeless shelters. They were ultimately contacted at a homeless shelter near Flagstaff, AZ by special agents with the FBI. The juvenile was returned to her guardians and DEAN was arrested and charged federally for transportation of a minor across state lines with the intent of engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a minor. The juvenile was reunited with her guardians within 10 days of first being reported missing.

This was the second time DEAN had aided the same juvenile female to run away from home, the first time being one year prior (documented in BCSO case number 22-02107) when he lived in Boulder. The juvenile had known DEAN since she was 11 years old and was considered a trusted adult by her guardians.

The associated FBI case number for this investigation is: 2023-CR-00440-DDD. The U.S. Department of Justice press release for this case can be found here (external link).

The associated BCSO case numbers for this investigation are: 23-03305 and 22-02107.

Since DEAN is not being housed at the Boulder County Jail, his booking photo is not available through the BCSO.

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office houses local members of the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, comprised of Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab investigators from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder Police Department, and Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. In addition to other responsibilities, investigators assigned to the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab are tasked with investigating child sexual exploitation cases and high technology crimes and provide digital forensics expertise and analysis on a wide range of cases.

About ICAC:
The Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, is a group of local and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as prosecutors located in and around the state of Colorado who are trained and dedicated to protecting children online by investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against children, facilitated by the internet, technology, and computer usage. Colorado ICAC is a member of the National ICAC Task Force.

If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited online or in person, you can report it online (link is external) or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST.

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/s/Detective Sophie Berman