Registered sex offender sentenced to federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child

(WBFF) — A man already registered as a sex offender was federally sentenced on child sex abuse-related charges, officials said.

Scott Lee Dye, 47, of North East, was sentenced to 22.5 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, on charges of coercion and enticement of a minor.

Dye must also continue to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life, as well as pay $4,500 in restitution to his victims.

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As outlined in Dye’s guilty plea agreement, “he used the WhatsApp and Kik applications to attempt to meet and have sexual intercourse with individuals he believed were various minors.”

In October 2022, investigators found Dye was engaging in sexual communications via WhatsApp with a minor after the child’s parents reported the communications to her school, who then notified the police.

In the same timeframe, New Jersey police contacted their Maryland counterparts to say that Dye was in communication with who he believed was a 13-year-old girl, but was actually undercover law enforcement officials. Those communications (via Kik) “included graphic descriptions of the various sexual acts he wanted to perform on the minor,” the release read.

Dye’s devices also contained various photos and videos of child sexual abuse material.

Dye pled guilty to the charges in June 2025.