ST. LOUIS (AP) – An Illinois man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for enticing an underage girl into prostitution.

The sentence for 23-year-old Richard Anderson of Cahokia, Ill., was handed down Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. He pleaded guilty in September.

St. Louis County police conducted a sting operation in June to determine if any girls under 18 were being offered for sex on the Internet. An undercover officer responded to an ad for an escort services on Backpage.com, with photos showing a female purported to be 19. She was actually 17.

Federal prosecutors say Anderson acknowledged Internet postings on Backpage.com that marketed the girl for sex. He kept all of her earnings.

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