Colorado dentist arrested in Florida, charged in child sex sting

A Colorado dentist is facing charges of trying to entice a mother and her underaged daughter into having unlawful sex, federal prosecutors say.

Jason Atha, a dentist who practiced in Boulder, is accused of speaking to a woman to arrange to have sex with her and her 9-year-old daughter. The person he was allegedly talking to was an undercover federal agent and he was arrested in West Palm Beach after flying there last week.

Atha, 49, didn't know he was messaging with an undercover Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations agent on a chatroom centered around "taboo" sex acts, according to a 27-page indictment. In those messages, Atha allegedly talked to the agent who he thought was a single mom about having sex with her and her daughter.

The messages started in October 2023, when the agent said her "daughter" was 8 years old. Over the course of several months, the agent said the child turned 9. In messages, the agent asked Atha if he has an age preference and he allegedly replied "Hmm not really. I'd maybe say 8 and up."

Atha also sent the agent several photos of himself, she said.

In July, Atha told the agent he would fly from Denver to Palm Beach International Airport in August. When he landed, he met the agent, who walked him to the parking lot where agents were waiting. Atha was taken into custody, waived his Miranda rights and admitted to flying to Florida to try to have sex with the fake woman and child, according to the indictment.

Atha founded Alpine Dentistry in Boulder, according to prosecutors. His dental license is still active through the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. A message was left at Alpine Dentistry seeking comment on Wednesday.

Another message was left with his attorney seeking comment.

The practice's website appears to have been edited in recent days, but the indictment has the following, which investigators say came from the site: "Jason Atha, DDS is a Colorado native and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder for undergrad, and graduated with honors from the Medical College of Virginia where he obtained his dental degree. He joined the Alpine Dentistry team in 2001. Every summer, Dr. Atha travels to North Carolina to perform pro bono work for children and adults who would otherwise be without dental care."

If convicted, Atha faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.