Convicted sex offender and his wife tried buying 7-year-old girl in Mexico, feds say
A West Virginia man failed to register as a sex offender and fled to Mexico, where he and his wife tried to buy a 7-year-old girl — and were caught with a “large” amount of cash, according to federal prosecutors.
Scott David Bixler, 43, of Morgantown, left the U.S. in July 2023 before he was scheduled to be sentenced in state court in connection with criminal convictions for not registering as a sex offender, federal prosecutors said.
After two days in Mexico, Bixler and his wife were arrested by Mexican authorities for methamphetamine possession on Aug. 4, 2023, court documents say.
Then, police discovered they were trying to buy the young girl for $5,000, according to court documents.
Now, a federal judge has sentenced Bixler to 10 years in prison for failing to update his sex offender registration — the statutory maximum sentence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia said in a Feb. 5 news release.
Bixler’s federal defender didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Feb. 6.
“The sentence handed down by the court ensures that the defendant will be confined in prison for the maximum time allowed by law,” U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard said in a statement.
“I shudder to think what might have happened …”
In Mexico, Bixler and his wife were found with two pellet guns and a cell phone jammer, along with $5,000 and methamphetamine, prosecutors wrote in court documents.
Cell phone jammers and other “signal jamming devices” can block or interfere with wireless communications, according to the Federal Communications Commission.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office didn’t specify what legal repercussions Bixler and his wife might’ve faced in Mexico, following their arrests in the country. McClatchy News contacted the office for more information Feb. 6.
Bixler’s federal prison sentence will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
He must register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, a federal law, “for life,” according to prosecutors.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Convicted sex offender and his wife tried buying 7-year-old girl in Mexico, feds say."
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