A Fayette man has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for traveling to Pennsylvania to have sex with a 13-year-old girl, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Patrick Gaffney-Kessell, 29, formerly of Sedgwick, pleaded guilty in February to a charge of travel with intent to have sex with a minor.

Gaffney-Kessell began an online relationship with a 13-year-old girl in October 2010. The two exchanged text messages, Facebook chats, emails and telephone calls that included sexually explicit text and images. In January 2011, he traveled to Pennsylvania to have sex with the girl, but she refused to meet with him, and her parents reported him to law enforcement.

According to the prosecution’s version of the offense, filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCormack, Gaffney-Kessell told law enforcement agents on Jan. 18, 2012, that he traveled there expecting to have sex with the girl.

Gaffney-Kessell was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor on Friday to six-and-a-half years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

He was also facing a charge of sexual abuse of a minor in state court.

He also was ordered to forfeit two cell phones and a computer used to further the offense. The items were seized from Gaffney-Kessell on Jan. 17, 2012, in Sedgwick and Blue Hill.

Special conditions of supervision say Gaffney-Kessell must comply with requirements of the Computer and Internet Monitoring Program and require him to participate in sex offender treatment.

He did not have a prior criminal record, according to McCormack, who also said that no one from the victim’s family was present at the sentencing hearing.