ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A Vermont man pleaded guilty to interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a 12-year-old boy, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Scott Westervelt, 46, faces a term of at least 5 years in prison under terms of a plea agreement.

The DOJ says Westervelt admitted between January and June 2022, he exchanged sexually explicit messages online with someone posing as a 12-year-old boy. Law enforcement says Westervelt expressed a desire to engage in illicit sexual conduct with the 12-year-old and arranged to meet the supposed child in Lake George for that purpose.

The DOJ says Westervelt left his home in Bennington on June 14 and drove to Lake George where he was arrested. He will be sentenced on December 15. He also faces a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least five years to life.