Eight men from the Hudson Valley were arrested in an undercover operation after they allegedly made plans to have sex with a child.

On Thursday, Travis Sammeth of Newburgh was found guilty of attempted rape by a jury trial in Ulster County Court.

On Sept. 8, Sammeth made contact with an undercover police officer through an online website. He expressed interest in having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl and made arrangements to meet with who he believed to be the 14-year-old girl and her stepfather, officials say.

Sammeth was arrested at the Hudson Valley Mall, the designated meeting location.

Sammeth was arrested after a three-day operation carried out in Ulster County by the FBI and New York State Police Child Exploitation Task Force in conjunction with members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office which targeted people who pursued sexual contact with minors via social media.

In reaching their verdict, the jury found that Sammeth had the intent to engage in sexual intercourse with a minor and that his conduct came dangerously close to completing that intent. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

The operation in Ulster County led to eight arrests, seven of which led to felony convictions, according to the Ulster County District Attorney's Office.

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