SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A DeRuyter man faces the possibility of life in prison after pleading guilty to trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a female acquaintance and her 12-year-old daughter.
Floyd Wood, 48, pleaded guilty Thursday before a federal judge, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office.
As part of his plea, Wood admitted that in April 2016, while texting someone he believed was a female acquaintance, he arranged to meet with and her 12-year-old daughter at a Syracuse hotel to engage in a sexual encounter with both the mother and daughter, according to court documents.
Wood later learned that he was corresponding with law enforcement officers. He was arrested at the hotel after being observed in an adult store, where he bought items he intended to use in the encounter, authorities said.
The mother was also charged with sexual exploitation of a child, though details of her case were never made public. Wood was previously the owner of an excavation company based in DeRuyter.
As part of his sentencing, Wood faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum life sentence. He may also be required to pay a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of at least five years. He'll also have to register as a sex offender.
The case, which was investigated by the FBI office in Syracuse and New York State Police, is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, the U.S. District Attorney's Office said.
