An East Hempfield Township man will spend one and a half to six years in state prison after pleading guilty this week to paying to have sex with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, only to discover it was an undercover officer with the Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force.

Judge Dennis Reinaker also sentenced Amir Hossain, of the 2600 block of Standardbred Drive, to three years of probation following release from prison. His sentence will begin Jan. 3.

Hossain, 35, pleaded guilty on Monday to criminal attempt of patronizing a victim of human trafficking, criminal attempt of statutory sexual assault and criminal solicitation of criminal use of a communication facility.

Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick, who prosecuted the case, told the court that while no actual child was harmed, Hossain’s intentions from the beginning were to pay money to have sex with a juvenile victim of human trafficking. Hossain even told the undercover officer prior to his arrest that he was excited for the encounter, Haverstick said.

“He not only thought about it, he not only talked about it, he showed up a hotel to have sex with a 14-year-old victim,” Haverstick told the court.

Hossain told the court his actions were a “mistake” and asked Judge Reinaker for a more lenient sentence of 10 months incarceration, explaining that he alone supports his family.

Investigators began looking into Hossain after he responded to an online advertisement in December 2023 and agreed to pay $250 to have sex with a 14-year-old girl. The advertiser, purporting to be one of the girl’s family members, was actually an undercover Human Trafficking Task Force officer.

The undercover officer met Hossain at an East Lampeter Township hotel where he again agreed to pay $250 to have sex with the girl for 30 minutes while walking to a hotel room before he was arrested.

Detectives with the Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force filed the charges.