A Colorado dentist was arrested and charged after allegedly arranging sex abuse online with a person he believed was the mother of an 8-year-old girl, authorities claim.
Dr. Jason Atha, a dentist in Boulder, Colo., was taken into custody by federal agents when he landed at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida on Aug. 9, according to a federal indictment reviewed by PEOPLE.
Though the 49-year-old allegedly thought he was communicating with the mother and her 8-year-old daughter on a messaging app, he was instead talking to an undercover agent with the Department of Homeland Security, the indictment claims.
Atha allegedly began communicating with the undercover agent on a messaging app chat room revolving around “taboo” sex acts and child sex abuse in October 2023. The agent’s job was to “detect and investigate violations of federal law related to the sexual exploitation of children,” the indictment states.
According to the indictment, the undercover agent — who Atha allegedly believed was a single mother — told Atha they had an 8-year-old daughter who they sexually abused during what they called “play time.” In response, Atha allegedly said, “That’s a beautiful thing. I would sooo love to be a part of that,” according to the indictment.
When later asked if he had an age preference, Atha allegedly replied, “Hmm not really. I’d maybe say 8 and up,” per the indictment. Over the next several months, Atha allegedly sent photos of himself, expressed interest in “play time” and discussed the sexual acts he would perform on the “girl,” the indictment states. In messages from July, Atha allegedly planned to travel to Florida to have sex with the mother and daughter. He later allegedly shared details of his round-trip flight, according to the indictment.
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When he was taken into custody at the airport on Aug. 9, Atha waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with federal agents, according to the indictment. He allegedly acknowledged the conversations and admitted that he traveled to Florida to watch the mother have sex with the daughter, but denied that he was going to have sex with the child.
The indictment further alleges that Atha had child sexual abuse material on his phone at the time of his arrest. He has been charged with attempted enticement of a minor, which according to the indictment, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. It’s unclear if he has entered a plea and PEOPLE couldn’t immediately identify an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
According to the indictment, Atha is a dentist at Alpine Dentistry in Boulder, Colo., and has an active dentist license. PEOPLE reached out to Alpine Dentistry for comment on Friday, Aug. 16 but did not immediately hear back.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
