ICE arrests Bayamon area man for sexually enticing a minor
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested a Bayamon area man Friday for sexually enticing a minor.
According to the affidavit that accompanies the criminal complaint that charges Edison Jose Diaz-Carreras, 38, with sexual enticement of a minor, he attempted to entice and coerce a female minor who at the time of the initial communications was 13 years old.
The charging document alleges that on or about December 2015, the HSI San Juan Child Exploitation Investigations Group received information from the parents of a 13-year-old female regarding Diaz-Carreras. According to the information provided Diaz-Carreras communicated with the minor in a suggestive way, referring to messages with double connotation and possible sexual meaning, using a messaging phone application.
On or about Dec. 29, 2015, an HSI special agent assumed the identity of the minor and continued the conversations with Diaz-Carreras. From on or about Dec. 29, 2015, to April 15, 2016, Diaz-Carreras sent several explicit videos and images to whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. He also told the special agent acting in an undercover capacity that he could teach her about sex and that he was going to do to her everything depicted in the videos and images he had sent her.
The criminal complaint further alleges that Diaz-Carreras told the undercover agent that he wanted to take who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl to a local motel. He was arrested by HSI special agents on the location where he was going to meet with the minor to transport her to the motel.
“Parental supervision and good parent/child communication prevented this girl from falling prey of a predator,” said Ricardo Mayoral, acting special agent in charge of HSI San Juan. “We can't arrest our way out of this problem – research shows one in 25 children ages 10 to 17 have received an online sexual overture where the person attempted to meet the child face-to-face. This is not only about arresting people, this is also about prevention and education.”
Diaz-Carreras had his initial hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcos Lopez on Monday who set the bail and preliminary hearings for April 21 and May 2, respectively. Diaz-Carreras was transferred to the Guaynabo Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting the outcome of his case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elba Gorbea is prosecuting the case.
This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
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