Cypress Man Convicted for Enticement of a Minor

HOUSTON – A 34-year-old Cypress man entered a guilty plea today to the coercion and enticement of a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.

On Nov. 19 and 20, 2015, Christopher Ray Nunes communicated through the texting application know as KIK with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl. During those conversations, he detailed his intended plans to engage in sexual acts with her.

On Nov. 20, 2015, Nunes drove from Cypress to Fort Bend County for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with the girl. He was taken into custody upon his arrival. At the time of his arrest, Nunes was in possession of the phone on which the sexually explicit KIK chats occurred.

U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon accepted the plea and set sentencing for Oct. 13, 2017. At that time, Nunes faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Nunes will also have to register as a sex offender and adhere to any special conditions imposed at sentencing in regard to his Internet usage and proximity to children.

The FBI and the Houston Metro Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."