"Intent" is often an element of an offense, but it is not an offense per se.
For example: "burglary" is defined as the entering of a building (often a
dwelling) with the intent to commit a felony or the crime of theft. Now the
"intent" on the part of the accused burglar can often be inferred by a
rational person (the TV, stereo, and jewlry were stacked by the front
door...), but mere intent is never an offense - intent is often necessary,
but intent alone is never sufficient to establish the crime. There must be
some overt act as a necessary element of the offense.

Bullcrap...

What about all the alleged "child molestors" who are locked up for
thirty years and labled sex offenders for life because they arrive at
some police sting operation with the "intent" of having sex with a 15
year old girl.

In reality there is no 15 year girl... she was made up by some police
officer surfing on the Internet and up till the moment of arrest, no
one was harmed. There is no victim.

The person being arrested and convicted is being punished purely for
their thoughts about what they might want to do or thought about
doing, in other words, intent.

Beachcomber