BOISE, Idaho – A 38-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to sexually abuse a child. The man, Garrett Ray Vanni, was arrested in a sting operation on February 27, 2025, according to Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador.
The coordinated two-night operation that led to his arrest was led by Labrador’s and the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office. The operation used undercover officers who worked to expose adults attemping to sexually abuse children or share child sexual abuse material using online chat platforms.
Vanni was arrested after engaging in sexually explicit conversation with an undercover officer he believed was a 15-year-old girl, said Labrador’s office in a release, which shared the story of Vanni’s arrest and sentencing.
On February 27, 2025, Vanni arrived at a hotel in Nampa, intending to have sex with a minor. He was arrested by members of the Idaho Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force who were waiting for him there.
Canyon County District Judge Davis F. VanderVelde sentenced Vanni to fifteen years in prison, made up of three and a half years fixed and eleven and a half years indeterminate.
“These undercover operations protect Idaho families by stopping predators before they can harm a single child,” Attorney General Labrador said. “Our statewide law enforcement partnerships make Idaho families safer every day. When agencies work together, we remove these threats and send a clear message that if you target children in Idaho, you will be caught and prosecuted.”
The operation also involved the Idaho State Police, Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, United States Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), and the Idaho ICAC Unit including affiliate investigators from the Boise Police Department, Pocatello Police Department, Idaho Falls Police Department, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, Rupert Police Department, Moscow Police Department, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, and Nampa Police Department.
Anyone with information about child exploitation is encouraged to contact local police, the Idaho Attorney General’s ICAC Unit at (208)-947-8700 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.
