A Virginia man was sentenced to 11-23 months in prison Friday after pleading guilty to charges he attempted to have sex with a 13-year-old following a sting by the Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force.

“The defendant was in fact looking to have sex with a child,” Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick said to Lancaster County Judge Dennis Reinaker, who ordered sentence. “Nothing can change those facts.”

Tanner Iskra, 38 of Stafford, Virginia, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to attempted statutory sexual assault (11 years older), attempted corruption of minors, and criminal use of a communication facility.

“To drive all the way from where you live to here was plenty of time for you to think about what you were doing,” Judge Reinaker said to the defendant. “But you didn’t.”

The Human Trafficking Task Force conducted an undercover detail in June 2022 focused on the solicitation of minors for sex online.

Iskra responded to an online advertisement and began communicating with an undercover HTTF detective posing as a family member of a 13-year-old female, who Iskra agreed to pay $200 to have sex with for an hour.

“This is very serious stuff,” Judge Reinaker said to the defendant at the sentencing proceeding. “It didn’t involve an actual victim, but that’s no benefit to you. If it were up to you, there would’ve been a victim.”

Iskra was also sentenced to eight years of probation following his prison term and must register as a sex offender with the Pennsylvania State Police for the rest of his life.

East Lampeter Township Police Detective Christopher Jones filed charges.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc.