BOISE, ID – Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced that Garrett Ray Vanni, 38, has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison following his arrest in a joint undercover operation aimed at identifying and stopping individuals who attempt to exploit children online.
Vanni pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a child through the use of the internet or other communication device, a felony under Idaho law. He was sentenced on November 5, 2025, by Canyon County District Judge Davis F. VanderVelde to a unified sentence of 15 years, with three and a half years fixed and eleven and a half years indeterminate. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Vanni was arrested on February 27, 2025, during a coordinated two-night undercover operation conducted by the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office. The operation targeted offenders attempting to engage minors in sexual activity through text messages, social media, and other online platforms.
Investigators said Vanni had explicit conversations with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl, who was in fact an undercover officer. He was arrested after arriving at a Nampa hotel intending to meet the minor.
Attorney General Labrador commended the collaborative effort, stating, “These undercover operations protect Idaho families by stopping predators before they can harm a single child. When agencies work together, we remove these threats and send a clear message that if you target children in Idaho, you will be caught and prosecuted.”
The operation was supported by multiple agencies, including the Idaho State Police, Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and local departments across the state—from Boise and Pocatello to Moscow and Coeur d’Alene.
The investigation was led by Bonneville County Detective Korey Payne and Canyon County Detective Bailey Wilson. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General James Haws.
Officials encourage anyone with information about child exploitation to contact local police, the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit at 208-947-8700, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. More information and resources for parents and educators are available at ICACIdaho.org.
