Bombshell texts show dentist feared getting arrested as he tried to arrange sex with ‘mom & child’ before he was snared
A DENTIST who feared he would be nabbed while allegedly trying to arrange to have sex with a mom and her nine-year-old girl has been arrested at an airport.
Dr. James Jason Atha has been charged with attempted enticement of a minor and could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
The Colorado dentist was arrested on August 9 by undercover officers after he allegedly flew into West Palm Beach with child sex images and chocolate-flavored lubricant, reported the Palm Beach Post.
Atha, 50, of Broomfield, is alleged to have been messaging a woman he believed was a single mom from Florida.
Last October, Homeland Security Investigations began investigating his alleged online activities during a probe of the sexual exploitation of children, according to an arrest affidavit for Atha.
An undercover agent pretended to be a mother with a young daughter, local Fox affiliate KDVR-TV reported.
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The agent accessed chatrooms created for people to discuss “interests” such as “sex, family incest, child pornography and the like," according to court filings.
Atha was contacted by the agent on October 3, 2023, where the pair allegedly discussed having sex with the woman and her little girl.
Federal authorities said the undercover agent described in online chatrooms how she had groomed her daughter with sex toys during playtime.
"That's a beautiful thing, I would sooo love to be a part of that," investigators alleged that Atha replied in one text message.
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"I would love to find mother daughter to play with," he is alleged to have stated in another message, per the court filings.
He was asked whether he had previously had sex with a mother and daughter.
"Unfortunately no," he allegedly replied, according to the indictment.
"I have had so many of what I thought were opportunities, only to get ghosted when it got down to it."
On June 14, it is alleged that Atha and the agent messaged each other about a possible meeting when he could meet her and the child in Florida.
They intended to be together in Palm Beach from August 9 - 11, the 27-page affidavit claimed.
What has dentist Dr. James Jason Atha been charged with?
Dr. James Jason Atha, 50, was arrested at the Palm Beach Airport on August 9, 2024.
He has been charged with attempted enticement of a minor.
If he's convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The Colorado dentist was arrested after he allegedly arranged to have sex with a mother and her nine-year-old daughter, according to an affidavit.
Federal agents arrested him after a months-long undercover investigation, when an officer posed as a mom and daughter.
He is scheduled to attend a pre-trial detention hearing on August 16 in Federal Court in West Palm Beach, Florida.
According to the affidavit, the dentist is alleged to have asked for the girl to wear makeup and dress in “something not all that age appropriate.”
However, the court filings said Atha was concerned about being arrested upon arrival.
"I am very nervous but serious, in my head, I get there and cops are waiting for me," he is alleged to have texted the pretend mother.
Upon landing at West Palm Beach last Friday, a team of officers tracked Atha through the airport, said the Post.
The federal agents led him away in handcuffs.
Atha told the officers that he had planned to watch the mother and daughter having sex and had no plans to participate, according to court filings.
The undercover agent told him that she had been pretending to be the mom and daughter, reported the Daily Mail.
The dentist has been charged with attempted enticement of a minor.
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He made his first appearance in federal court on Monday and will attend a pre-trial detention in South Florida today.
The U.S. Sun has contacted the dental office he works at for comments.