West Texas man sentenced to 125 months for child enticement
EL PASO, Texas — A west Texas man was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor into engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Salvador Lopez, 37, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced on one count of enticing a child to engage in sexually explicit activity. His prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty Aug. 21 to the enticement charge.
“This sentence serves as a warning to other child predators,” said Waldemar Rodriguez, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso. “HSI aggressively investigates child exploitation cases, and with the U.S. attorney’s office, is committed to prosecuting predators to the full extent of the law.”
By pleading guilty, Lopez admitted that in April 2013, he engaged in sexually explicit communications, with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old female, in an attempt to coerce and entice her into having unlawful sexual intercourse.
Lopez has remained in federal custody since his arrest May 1, 2013, when he arrived at a pre-arranged meeting with the minor, which was actually an undercover HSI special agent.
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.
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