A 50-year-old American dentist, Dr. James Jason Atha, has been arrested after he allegedly made attempts to have sex with a mother and her eight-year-old daughter.
Federal authorities explained that Atha, who hails from hBroomfield, initiated conversation he believed was a single mother from Florida, who labeled online chatrooms how she nurtured her young daughter with sex toys during play time in October 2023.
He then replied, “That’s a beautiful thing. I would sooo love to be a part of that,” according to a federal indictment obtained by the Palm Beach Post.
For several months, Atha and the woman exchanged messages regularly. On June 14, their conversations turned to planning a visit, including discussions about when he could come to see her and her child.
Unbeknownst to Atha, the woman he had been communicating with was actually an undercover agent from the Department of Homeland Security. As a result, he was apprehended by federal agents upon his arrival at Palm Beach International Airport on August 9.
Prosecutors mentioned that Atha conversed with the undercover agent multiple times in the last 10 months, explaining the sexual acts he would like to carry out on the imaginary child.
“I would love to find mother-daughter to play with,” he allegedly wrote in one message.
Asked by the undercover agent in another discussion whether he’d had sex with a mother and daughter previously, Atha responder “unnfortunately no,” ccording to the 27-page indictment.
“I have had so many of what I thought were opportunities, only to get ghosted when it got down to it,” he reportedly wrote.
The agent went further to querued him several times whether he was sure he wanted to have sex with her daughter, and each time he said he was, prosecutors argue.
Eventually, Atha and the undercover agent settled on a visit to Palm Beach from August 9 to 11, during which they discussed flight arrangements and weekend plans.
Initially, Atha showed some hesitation, even expressing his anxiety in a message to the agent, “I am very nervous but serious.
“In my head I get there and cops are waiting for me.”
But eventually Atha agreed to meet her at the Palm Beach airport.
He even allegedly called the agent to discuss the details of the possible trip, according to KDVR.
Eventually, Atha and the undercover agent agreed on a visit to Palm Beach from August 9 to 11, where they coordinated flight details and weekend activities.
At first, Atha seemed uncertain and conveyed his apprehension in a message to the agent, stating, “I am very nervous but serious.”
An arrest affidavit, revealed that he “spontaneously’ asked how he could be arrested and how his conversations with the mother could be known to federal agents – when the undercover agent revealed herself.
Atha then reportedly waived his Miranda rights and admitted he flew to Florida to watch the undercover agent engage in sex with her daughter.
Atha allegedly confessed to having child pornography on his phone, which agents later verified, and acknowledged the conversations with the undercover agent but denied intending to act on them.
Following this, agents executed a search warrant and discovered that Atha had been active in various incest and taboo chat rooms.
Atha now faces charges of attempted enticement of a minor and could receive a maximum prison sentence of life. He is set to appear for a pre-trial detention hearing in South Florida on Friday.
Meanwhile, a representative from Alpine Dental in Boulder, Colorado, where Atha was employed, informed CBS 12 that he is no longer with the company. It remains unclear whether he resigned or was terminated.
His profile on the office’s website highlighted his annual trips to North Carolina, where he provided free dental services to children and adults in need.