Mexican National Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempting to Entice Minor

EL PASO – Today a Mexican national was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to entice a minor.

According to court documents, Cayetano Lopez, 50, of Mexico, attempted to entice a minor into engaging in sexually explicit conduct via a social media messaging application.  On May 20, 2021, Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor.  By pleading guilty, Lopez admitted that in July 2020, he engaged in sexually explicit communications with a female he believed to be 13 years old, attempting to entice her into having unlawful sexual intercourse. 

Lopez has remained in federal custody since his arrest on July 19, 2020, when he arrived at a prearranged meeting with the minor, who turned out to be an undercover agent.

“According to new data released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, online enticement of children has increased 97.5% amid the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff.  “In response, the US Attorney’s Office, along with our law enforcement partners, has redoubled our efforts to prosecute these very serious cases and keep our children safe while using the internet.”

“I am proud of the work done by FBI El Paso Violent Crimes Against Children personnel to ensure that another child predator was taken off the streets,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Downey, El Paso Division. “The FBI remains dedicated in the fight to protect our nation’s future by ensuring our children can prosper where individuals like Lopez do not threaten their welfare.”

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Winters prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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