FBI Undercover Operation Results in Three Men Charged After Travelling for the Purpose of Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Minors

NEW ORLEANS - RICHARD JACKSON WHITE, age 46, from Purvis, Mississippi, NICHOLAS JOHN ENGOLIA, age 32, from Slidell, Louisiana, and DUSTIN LEE SEITZ, age 40, from Gulfport, Mississippi, were charged between March 27, 2026 and April 28, 2026, as the result of an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) undercover operation concerning individuals seeking to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. All three men were previously charged at the time of their apprehension by criminal complaints.

According to one indictment, beginning on or about January 28, 2026, until on or about March 3, 2026, ENGOLIA corresponded online with an individual he believed to be a fifteen-year-old female for the purpose of attempting to persuade the fifteen-year-old to engage in criminal sexual activity. The correspondence culminated with ENGOLIA traveling by car from Slidell, Louisiana, to Covington, Louisiana, to engage in sexual conduct with someone he believed to be a fifteen-year-old female. During the correspondence, ENGOLIA attempted to transfer obscene matter to the person he believed to be a minor. ENGOLIA was charged in a two-count indictment with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b) (Count 1), and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1470 (Count 2).

According to a bill of information, on or about February 24, 2026, WHITE travelled from Mississippi to Louisiana for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with an individual he believed to be a fifteen-year-old female. WHITE has been charged with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b).

According to a bill of information, beginning on or about March 2, 2026, and culminating on or about March 4, 2026, SEITZ travelled from Gulfport, Mississippi, to Mandeville, Louisiana, by car to engage in sexual conduct with an individual SEITZ believed to be a fifteen-year-old female. SEITZ has been charged with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b).

If convicted, ENGOLIA faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years up to life in prison as to Count 1 and up to ten (10) years in prison as to Count 2. SEITZ and WHITE each face a maximum term of imprisonment of not more than thirty (30) years. Each defendant also faces at least five (5) years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count. Additionally, each defendant may also be required to register as a sex offender.