Bayamón Psychologist Indicted and Arrested for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging psychologist Samuel Pérez-Figueroa with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and attempted receipt of child exploitation material, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The FBI is in charge of the investigation.

According to the information contained in the indictment, from October 15, 2021, until October 27, 2021, Pérez-Figueroa used a cellular phone, as well as internet instant messaging services, to knowingly attempt to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a fifteen-year-old female minor to engage in sexual activity. Defendant Pérez-Figueroa, using his cellular phone which had internet capabilities, attempted to receive images depicting a female minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct for which any person may be charged with a criminal offense, including the production of child pornography.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI encourage other potential victims to come forward if you have knowledge that this defendant or any other adult has engaged in this type of criminal behavior. If you or anyone you know has been the victim or a witness to this or any other federal crime, please call (787) 987-6500 or visit tips.fbi.gov. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

If convicted of all counts, Pérez-Figueroa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment to life, followed by a term of supervised release of 5 years to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, Jenifer Y. Hernández-Vega is in charge of the prosecution of the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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