GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KDVR) — The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado Friday said Michael Tracy McFadden, 51, of Grand Junction, was sentenced to life in federal prison on March 6.

McFadden was “convicted of crossing state lines with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor under the age of 12, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado said in a release.

McFadden was found guilty of the charges after two victims testified at his trial in November last year. The trial lasted five days before the jury made a decision on the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado said as a long-haul truck driver, McFadden took at least two kids out of Colorado multiple times over six years time and repeatedly sexually assaulted them at his home in Grand Junction, in his truck and in other states.

“As U.S. Attorney, my office is committed to ensuring that those who prey on innocent children are held accountable for their heinous crimes. Today’s sentencing of Michael McFadden is a testament to our unwavering dedication to justice for victims of child sexual abuse,” U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan said in the release. “Of course, no punishment will make the victims and their families whole or give them back what the defendant stole from them. But a sentence that ensures the defendant will never be free in any community ever again will at least send the right message—that perpetrators of this kind of horrendous, unforgivable crime will die in prison.”

McFadden previously charged, convictions overturned

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, McFadden was previously charged and convicted in state court but the “convictions were overturned on appeal due to a speedy trial violation.”

McFadden was charged with the sexual assault of six children but the overturning of the convictions meant he couldn’t be tried again in the state of Colorado.

An investigation into McFadden and whether or not he violated federal laws was launched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Denver Division. That investigation led to McFadden’s indictment by a grand jury in 2019 and rearrest, the release said.

“This predator took advantage of the trusting nature inherent in children and committed unspeakable assaults against his young victims,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said. “The FBI prioritizes the safety of society’s most vulnerable citizens and will continue to relentlessly pursue criminals who target children.”

The FBI worked with the Grand Junction Police Department and the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office to bring McFadden to justice.