Amarillo, TX – Luis Gerardo Alvarado, 22, was sentenced this morning, by U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson, to 135 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in September 2013 to one count of enticement of a minor and aiding and abetting.  Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents filed in the case, while living in Brownwood, Texas, Alvarado met a minor female, who lived in Coleman County, Texas, by contacting her through Facebook chat.  From mid-March 2013 until April 8, 2013, Alvarado communicated with the minor female and attempted to persuade and entice her to engage in sexual activity with him.  Alvarado knew the minor female was under 17 years of age.  Alvarado has been in federal custody since July 1, 2013, when he was received from state custody, where he was being held on pending state charges.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Coleman Police Department, the Santa Anna Police Department and the Brownwood Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy prosecuted.

Pictured above is a mugshot of Alvardo from his arrest in Brownwood in April.