Cahokia Heights man — a former federal agent — guilty of having sex with girl, 14

A Cahokia Heights man, once an agent for the U.S. Inspector General, was found guilty in a U.S. district court of enticing a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Joseph Albert Fuchs III traveled to the Philippines with the intent of having sex with a 14-year-old girl, prosecutors said. He was indicted in April on one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.

He pleaded not guilty.

According to court records, Fuchs met the girl while visiting the the island nation and later engaged in sexual conversations with the minor using Facebook. In those conversations, Fuchs discussed ways to evade detection of her age and when he would return to the Philippines.

He returned to the Philippines in March of 2019 and met with the teenager for sex. He was 50 years old at the time, according to the charging documents filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Illinois.

Fuchs faces 10 years to life in prison.

During this time, Fuchs was a special agent for the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Fuchs sent nearly $1,000 to the minor over a year-long period, prosecutors said.

“Today’s guilty verdict should serve as a warning to those in positions of power or trust that if you engage in this behavior and seek to harm the innocent, you will be held accountable and brought to justice,” said Angie Salazar, Chicago Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Inspections.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Philippine National Police, and the Cahokia Heights Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ali Burns and Laura Reppert.