Howard man indicted by federal grand jury in enticement case | Centre Daily Times

Eight months after being arrested, a Howard man has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Eric Mann faces the case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York after the indictment was returned, charging him with one count of attempted coercion and enticement.

Those mirror the original charges outlined by court documents in August 2016, when the FBI and U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian said a police investigator in Colonie, N.Y., posed as a 14-year-old boy named “Kyle” online, including using the Kik social media platform.

Mann was arrested while attempting to meet “Kyle” at the Travel Centers of America in Milesburg.

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According to the grand jury charges filed April 6, Mann was attempting to have intercourse with a minor by using “a facility and means of interstate commerce.”

A letter to defense counsel from U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian Hummel’s office said a waive of appearance in the case could be filed by April 17. If not, Mann’s arraignment will be scheduled immediately.

“Because of speedy trial issues, the arraignment may be scheduled with very little advance notice,” the letter said.

Mann’s case was delayed in September, November, January and March. Three of those delays included stipulations from prosecution and defense that said the defense needed more time to review evidence including a three-hour interview with Mann a week after his arrest. The last stipulation stated that the parties were attempting to avoid a grand jury and “the desire of the defendant to review informal discovery and plea offers.”