German Citizen Arrested By BCSO Agents For Traveling To United States To Have Sex With A Minor

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – After 38 years in Law Enforcement you sometimes think you have seen just about everything, however tonight I am truly sickened to share with you that our agents have recently arrested 55-year-old, Meinrad Kopp, a German citizen and resident of Switzerland, for attempting to abuse a Florida child.

Kopp was recently indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, by traveling to the United States for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct, and child pornography.

The investigation was initiated in April 2017, and culminated in June 2017, as Kopp engaged in communications, via the Internet, with a Brevard County Sheriff’s Office SORT Agent acting in an undercover capacity.

Kopp was attempting to acquire a child to engage in a range of sexual activities, including sadomasochism. Kopp disclosed his intent to humiliate and cause pain by using property he would bring with him when traveling to the United States.

Kopp furthered his actions on June 16, 2017, when he traveled to Orlando, Florida and was arrested by agents working with Homeland Security Investigations. Inside his luggage, Kopp had weights, clamps, rope, tape, a bottle brush, and a flashlight that he intended to use with the child.

According to Kopp, this was not the first occasion he had engaged in such activities.

This investigation was a cooperative effort by Agents from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

The case will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office who holds primary jurisdiction over such cases.

This case was initiated as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

I would like to personally thank everyone who assisted in this investigation for their hard work and dedication. The agents who investigate these types of crimes work around the clock to protect our children, and this case is a perfect example that there are no boundaries for those who wish to harm our most precious citizens!!

If convicted on all counts, Kopp faces a maximum term of life in federal prison.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.

Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft.

That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today.

The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.

Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.

Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.

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