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Press Release

Lubbock County Man Sentenced to Life for Enticement of 11-Year-Old Relative

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas

A Shallowater, Texas man was sentenced today to life in federal prison for enticement of an 11-year-old relative, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.

On December 4, 2020, just after 15 minutes of deliberation, a federal jury convicted John David Martinez, 34, of enticement of a minor.  Mr. Martinez was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.

“This defendant took full advantage of a vulnerable minor relative through a series disturbing actions,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah.  “His admissions provide alarming insight into the methods he used to entice a young child for his own criminal gratification.  Today’s sentence is the only way to guarantee that he will never again harm children.”

“We applaud the quick action of the child’s caregiver to notify law enforcement of Mr. Martinez’s reprehensible conduct,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno. “Today’s sentence reflects the heinous nature of the crimes committed by Mr. Martinez and removes this dangerous predator from our community. We will continue working with our partners to protect children and hold offenders accountable for their crimes.”

According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Martinez initiated a text conversation with an 11-year-old relative in July 2018.

The two exchanged 7,702 text messages over a one-month period during which 31-year-old Martinez bullied the child into agreeing to have sex with him. 

In one text message, Mr. Martinez asked the child, “you wanna have sex with me?”  He followed it up with another message stating, “this stays between us.”

Fortunately, the child’s babysitter spotted the messages on her phone and notified the child’s parents and law enforcement immediately.  The investigation revealed that Martinez had a history of sexually abusing minors.

The FBI Lubbock Resident Agency, Shallowater Police Department, and Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Woolam and Sean Long are prosecuting the case.

Contact

Todd Martin
Public Affairs
214-659-8691
todd.martin3@usdoj.gov

Updated April 1, 2021