Pittsburgh man pleads to soliciting sex from agent posing online as young girl, her parent
Oct. 7—A Pittsburgh man who federal officials said solicited sex from someone he believed was the parent of a young girl pleaded guilty in federal court this week.
Wayne E. McNutt, 57, was accused of booking a hotel room at the Waterfront in July 2021 to engage in sex with the girl and providing $400 for travel expenses from New York to Pittsburgh, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI. McNutt was actually talking to undercover FBI agents.
Authorities detailed explicit conversations McNutt is accused of having with agents who were posing as the girl and her parent between February and July 2021 in the complaint, when the girl was purported to be 9 and 10 years old.
He pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
He is scheduled for sentencing Feb. 1.
The conversations happened through a social networking website, authorities said. McNutt was arrested when he arrived at the hotel and admitted he was the person chatting with undercover agents, according to the complaint. He brought condoms and lubricant with him.
Investigators said he sent undercover agents child pornography on two occasions in March 2021 and there was additional child pornography on his cellphone at the time of his arrest.
Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of two cellphones. McNutt has been detained during court proceedings.
He has been a registered sex offender since 2020 after a 2012 aggravated indecent assault conviction in Lawrence County, according to the Megan's Law website and online court records.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
