Louisville Man and Nicholasville Woman Each Sentenced to 15 Years for Online Enticement of Minors

LOUISVILLE — A Louisville man and a Nicholasville woman each received 15-year federal prison sentences June 1 for enticing minors online to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Christopher A. Ginter, 29, of Louisville, and Sarah E. Combs, 24, of Nicholasville, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky to one count each of enticement of a minor, the Justice Department said in a release. The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings.

The scope of the case centers on two defendants who used online platforms to target at least one minor each. Court records show both used explicit communications to persuade the minors to meet for sex acts. The charges fall under 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), which carries a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence and a maximum of life.

The sentences replace what would have been potential life terms with a fixed 15 years in prison for each defendant, followed by five years of supervised release and lifetime sex-offender registration. The change takes effect immediately upon sentencing, with both defendants ordered to report to Bureau of Prisons custody.

Downstream, the convictions require the defendants to register as sex offenders under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, triggering ongoing state and federal monitoring. The case also activates standard post-sentencing asset forfeiture and restitution procedures if any financial harm to victims is documented.

Federal probation officers must now supervise the pair for five years after release, enforcing strict limits on internet use, contact with minors and travel.

This marks the latest federal conviction in the Western District of Kentucky stemming from undercover online operations targeting child sexual exploitation. The Justice Department has pursued similar enticement cases under the same statute in multiple districts this year, often resulting in sentences between 10 and 20 years when defendants plead guilty before trial.

The FBI’s Louisville field office led the investigation, with assistance from local law enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Boniver and Jessica R. Stigler prosecuted the case.