Previously convicted Southeast Texas sex offender sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for soliciting a minor

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A previously convicted Southwest Texas sex offender was sentenced Wednesday to 27 years in prison for soliciting a minor online, and for failing to register as a sex offender.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.  This joint investigation was conducted by the Corpus Christi Police Department's (CCPD) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Robert Kirkland, 48, of Corpus Christi, was sentenced Feb. 10 by U.S. District Hayden Head to a total of 324 months in federal prison.  After he serves his prison sentence, Kirkland will be on supervised release for life, and he must register as a sex offender. At the hearing, an HSI special agent testified that Kirkland was convicted in 1998 in North Carolina for indecent liberties with a child and was required to register as a sex offender. In that case, Kirkland sexually assaulted a 10-year-old family member.  

Kirkland was also convicted in 2001 in federal court of bank robbery. The court also heard that Kirkland was on federal supervised release for a 2010 conviction for failure to register as a sex offender when he was arrested for soliciting a minor. The court revoked that term and ordered him to serve 24 months on that conviction; this will be served consecutively to the 300-month sentence for the current conviction for soliciting a minor.  Kirkland pleaded guilty to the charges in December 2015.

At the time of his plea, the court heard that in September 2015, HSI and CCPD-ICAC conducted a joint investigation targeting individuals involved in online solicitation of minors. Kirkland was communicating with a person he believed was the mother of two minor girls – ages 14 and 11.  However, he was actually talking to an undercover officer. Kirkland made arrangements to meet and have sex with the mother's two minor daughters.

Kirkland was apprehended as he arrived at the designated meeting place. At the time of his arrest, he had several condoms and admitted to authorities that his intention was to have sex with the girls.

Kirkland was arrested on the federal charges in September 2015 and has been in custody since that time where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this 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 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.