PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A dentist who practices in Boulder was arrested late last week in south Florida after flying there to meet a mother and her underage daughter for sex, a federal indictment alleges.
Jason Atha, who lives in Broomfield, was taken into custody shortly after arriving at Palm Beach International Airport in Palm Beach County, Fla. on Aug. 9.
According to a 27-page indictment, in October of last year Atha began conversing on an app with a woman who he thought was the mother of an 8-year-old girl. The woman Atha was in contact with, however, was an undercover special agent with the Department of Homeland Security.
Over the following months, Atha and the undercover federal agent traded sexually explicit messages.
In July, Atha made plans to travel to Palm Beach County, the indictment says.
The day before arriving in south Florida, Atha said he had gotten chocolate-flavored lubrication and condoms to use during sex with the girl and her mother, according to the indictment.
After being taken into custody, Atha waived his Miranda rights and spoke with federal agents, the indictment says. During their conversation, he admitted to his messages with the undercover agent but said he wasn't actually going to have sex with the child, the indictment alleges.
Atha also told agents his phone contained child pornography, which was confirmed after a federal search warrant was executed, the indictment says.
Atha remained in federal custody in Florida as of Tuesday afternoon, court records indicate.
9NEWS reached out to the dental office Atha worked at and was told "no comment" by the person who answered the phone.