North Texas man sentenced to 17 ½ years in federal prison for enticing a minor

DALLAS — A North Texas man was sentenced Thursday to serve 17 ½ years in federal prison following his guilty plea in December 2015 to one count of enticing a minor.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.  This case was investigated by Grand Prairie (Texas) Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Michael Joseph Carr, 25, of Grand Prairie, has been in federal custody since his arrest in May 2015 on a related federal criminal complaint.

According to documents filed in the case, on March 24, 2015, officers with Grand Prairie Police Department responded to a call regarding a 15-year-old girl who was missing from her guardian's residence. While driving through the neighborhood, officers observed a suspicious vehicle parked at a church on Tamara Lane in Grand Prairie.  Two individuals occupied the rear passenger area.  The male occupant, later identified as Carr, opened the door and immediately began apologizing.  The other occupant was identified as the missing girl, Jane Doe, who stated she and Carr met on an online social media website.

A subsequent search of Jane Doe's mobile device revealed that she was using the Kik instant-messaging app to engage in sexually explicit communications with another Kik user, later identified as Carr.  Carr admited that he used the Internet, Kik and his cellphone to entice Jane Doe to have sex with him.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks, Northern District of Texas, was in charge of the prosecution.

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 14,000 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 2015, nearly 2,400 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.